Beauty and the Beast: The SG Version
by SnowdropChimes
Summary: Title says it all. For everyone who wondered how our lovely heroes would fare in a somewhat alternate world and a setting reminiscent of the Disney film. Genre? Bit of everything. Pairings? DV, possibly SJ.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is just what the title describes: an adaptation to the 'Beauty and the Beast' plot, within an SG-inspired universe! As for genre, it is a bit of everything, from parody-related humour to adventure, drama and of course romance a-plenty. Pairing-wise, it will _stick to SG cannon, _focusing mostly on Daniel and Vala, since it was their story that struck me as more than vaguely similar to the 'Beauty and the Beast' theme.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the following: "Stargate SG1", any of its characters, Disney's "Beauty and the Beast", any of _its_ characters, any lines you might recognize from the shows...actually, I pretty much don't own anything at all. Hardly decent suing material, right? So please, do not.**

**Disclaimer no. 2: This is _meant_ to reflect the structure and sometimes lines of the Disney film. Some of the characters' names have been, erm, modified (!) to better reflect the parts they'd play in the BatB-like plot. All similarities are intentional, and the names are not misspellings . The adaptation will become looser after the first two or so chapters, though. **

**Alright, sorry for the long intro (thanks for bearing with me!), rest assured you will not hear from me until, well, until the end of this chapter at least!**

**Chapter I**

Once upon a time, somewhere at the far edges of the galaxy, a young girl lived in her quiet village, surrounded by peace, joy and the simple love that all her people shared. Yet, although she had everything a heart could desire, she was not content with the serene village life, and had grown up spoiled, rebellious and drawn to riches and luxury. But then, one winter's night, a cruel, gaudily clad woman arrived to their village through the circle of stars and enslaved the peaceful village people. Drawn by the opulence that surrounded the newcomer, the young girl left her safe home and ventured close to the strange woman. The others warned her not to, for no matter how rich the stranger seemed, and how many servants and guards accompanied her, appearances were deceiving, and good did not always come with luxury. She dismissed all those warnings, but the woman revealed herself to be a monstrous being, bent on domination and deceit. The girl tried to escape, but it was too late, for the monster had laid eyes on her, and decided to use her for its own dark purposes. Many years later, when she was finally free from the horrible creature's grasp, the girl—now a young woman with a beautiful body and a scarred soul—found her formerly peaceful world had been completely changed. Ashamed by her past and by the abhorrence of her own people, she steeled her soul and resorted to deceit, theft and manipulation to survive in the unstable galaxy. She became a space pirate, a merciless cheater, a devious swindler always seeking riches and luxury. Unable and unwilling to break the vicious circle of lies and deceit, she was doomed to live a dishonest life for all time. For who could ever learn to love a soulless thief?

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As the chilly morning sun rose, the university campus slowly came to life, truck after noisy garbage truck, shop after heavenly scented coffee shop, biker after dazed biker. In the bedroom of a small house right outside the main campus area, a ruffled mane of hair emerged from behind an ancient tome, and an unsteady hand lazily pushed a crooked pair of glasses back into place. Daniel Jackson stretched his sore muscles and squinted against the bright sunlight filtering through his window.

Daniel, a young man of sharp mind and usually bright disposition, lived in peace in the capital city of his home planet, Earth. A fairly well developed planet, but not overly open-minded when it came to the rest of the universe, Earth tended to focus on political power and influence games, and was utterly oblivious to any other life in the galaxy. While content with his position as a doctorate candidate in archaeology and linguistics, Daniel was growing frustrated with the pettiness of his people. Sometimes it seemed to him that only he and his mother Omaurice—Oma, to friends—Desala could see beyond the little details, into the vaster scheme of the universe.

"Little town, it's a quiet planet… every day, like the one before," he thought to himself as he walked down the main court later that morning, people passing by giving him and his three heavy books strange looks. "Little town, full of little people, waking up to say—"

"Bonjour!" the mailman called from across a wide patch of grass, and Daniel nodded back with a friendly smile. He sighed as the all-too-familiar sight of every single morning greeted him: there was the rolling kebab-stand like always, and his old Ancient civilizations professor from his undergraduate days on his daily jog through campus.

"Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning, Daniel! Where are you off to?" the professor inquired, huffing slightly from his jogging effort.

"The library! See, I just finished translating the record of this Egyptian tablet, and I think it revealed the missing connection between the pyramids of Gizah and th—"

"That's nice," the professor waved a dismissive hand, craning his neck to shout after a passing student. "Marie, your paper! I want it in my office by noon today! And no more excuses this time!"

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Daniel resumed his walk to the library. It was like that every time; whenever he tried to explain his theories, everyone would just space out, or else laugh disdainfully and recommend him to quit pursuing a doctorate and become a science fiction writer. Meanwhile, they were all immersed in their petty conflicts, scientists, politicians, students and all other people alike, refusing to see beyond the limits they had set for themselves.

"There must be more than this provincial life," he murmured to himself as he pushed open a small side door to the history library.

"Ah, Daniel!" the old librarian nodded genially, and Daniel returned an open smile.

"Good morning! I come to return the book I've borrowed."

"Finished already?" The elderly man gave an incredulous laugh.

"Oh, I couldn't put it down! It gives a whole new perspective on the building techniques used to make the pyramids! _Nobody_ could refute this kind of evidence!" He stopped himself from getting carried away, and shrugged with slight embarrassment. "Do you mind if I get one more look at the collection of translations from Haukos?"

"That collection? But you've already read it twice!"

"Well, his work is the most relevant to my thesis—the theories on the identity of the Egyptian gods, the interpretation of the symbols on the pyramids, the possibility of alien life having provided the technology to build the pyramids!"

Daniel was used to the wide-eyed look his opinions got, but he felt grateful for the librarian's understanding nod. When the older man spoke again, it took him totally by surprise.

"Well, if it's that useful to your thesis, you can check it out. No one else has asked to see it in years, anyway."

Daniel's eyes widened. Checking out an ancient library collection was _definitely_ not allowed!

"But, Sir!"

"Don't worry."

"Well, thank you! Thank you very much!"

Carefully holding the newly obtained translations, he made his way back through the now-crowded main court, oblivious to the long looks he was drawing from virtually every girl he passed. They stopped in their tracks, fixing him with hopeful stares, throwing their hair back with long-practiced moves and coyly battling their eyelashes, but never once did he raise his blue eyes from the worn-out pages. As he plodded forward, he did not notice the slightly awed looks of disappointment, nor heard the frustrated sighs of all the young women who had hoped to catch the eye of the ever-distracted archaeologist.

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As Daniel made his way to a quieter area to study his precious articles, a bit of a commotion happened at the other end of the main court. The tumult was caused by the sudden appearance of a tall, shapely woman with bright red hair and blue eyes that had virtually every male in sight struggling for a single glance. Her azure eyes set on Daniel's departing form and a small smile graced her lips, causing all the men around to plaster huge grins on their faces.

"Wow, first place again Hathon!" A smaller, dumpling-shaped girl leapt joyously around the one with the elegant, superior posture. "You're the undisputed beauty queen in this city!

"I know," Hathon replied with a proud smile. She really was the greatest. She could see the confusion on everyone's faces; they surely wondered why a well-off descendant of one of the most famous families in the country wasted her time around the university campus of the city, instead of being in the luxurious government building where she belonged. Well, she had her reasons.

"No other woman stands a chance against you—and no man, for that matter!"

"It's true," she accepted the flattery, "and I've got my eyes set on _that_ one!"

The chubby young woman squinted to see the indicated man, and promptly went slack-jawed.

"Huh! That crazy physicist's son?"

"He's the one! The lucky man I'm going to make mine."

Ignoring the yearning looks from male students, professors and staff alike, Hathon walked determinedly towards the out-of-the-way patch of grass where her target, Daniel, had sat down. He was the shy, understated son of a crazy scientist who everyone thought belonged in the nuthouse. She was going to offer him the greatest honor of all—that of being her man. With a small smile that sent the younger male population hyperventilating, she thought how grateful young Daniel would be for her unexpected grace. He would _adore_ her, worship the ground she walked on, see her as the all-beautiful goddess that she really was.

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"Hello Daniel."

She looked down on him from her catwalk-worthy height, crossing her arms in a slow, languid movement and giving him a feline smile.

"Hello, Hathon. Er…" he grimaced, trying to sound polite. "Can you move a bit to the right, please?"

She grinned. Of course, he wanted a better view, and with a regal movement she was about to gracefully grant his request...

"You're blocking the sun. The writing on these pages is a bit worn out, I need a lot of light, you understand…"

She pursed her lips with obvious dissatisfaction. With a quick gesture, she snapped one of the articles from his hand, carelessly detaching it from the rest of the collection.

"Careful!" Daniel protested. "That's a priceless—"

"How can you read this," she interrupted, "why does a young, attractive man like you bury his head in this pile of worthless hogwash, when there's so many things out there far more worthy?" She slowly kneeled next to him on the grass, leaning towards him and lowering her voice to a throaty purr. "Like _me_…"

He uncomfortably cleared his throat, standing up just as she was about to prop her elbow on his shoulder and inadvertently causing her to fall flat on the grass. Seething, she pushed herself up, then quickly recomposed her innocent expression, invitingly batting her eyelashes at him.

"Erm, yeah…" Daniel quickly gathered his scattered articles. "Well, it was nice seeing you, I'll, uhm, see you around, then."

She placed a hand on his arm, caressing it slowly.

"Stay…" she murmured in his ear.

Blushing furiously, he took a few quick steps backwards.

"I would, ahem, love to, but I, erm, have to help at the lab today! So—"

"What, another one of your mother's crazy projects?" Hathon rolled her eyes with obvious disdain. "It's a surprise they still allow her to use the laboratory and other government facilities!"

"My mother's project is _not_ crazy," he retorted angrily. "And it would have been ready a long time ago if they hadn't cut down her funding—" He cut himself short, realizing he really did _not_ want to be in any kind of conversation with the arrogant woman. "Anywho…I'll be on my way, then."

With a quick wave, he turned on his heels and hurried away, hoping she would not pursue, as she was sometimes prone to do. He could not recall how many times Hathon had cornered him, sometimes in public, at the library (how they let her in was beyond him, as she was in no way affiliated with the university!) or in his favorite coffee shop, or even on his way home a couple of times. With her flashy outfits and her heavy make-up that made her look as though she had just descended from the catwalk (and forgotten to get _dressed_!), she embarrassed him to no end, and honestly scared him just a little bit. And when she opened her mouth, everything that came out was either self-flattery, disparagement towards his field of study and his theories, or some airheaded remark that conveyed her superficial views on life. Mostly the former, though, and Daniel was sick of hearing how the world would think so much better of him if he went out with her.

"Mister Hathon," he snorted derisively, "yeah, like _that_'ll happen."

* * *

**All comments are welcome! This is the first time I am writing something like this, and as far as story ideas go, I know--this plot bunny took quite a hop off the regular track. So, thanks for taking the time to read it, and know that I value your feedback!**

**Cheers!**

**SC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

The moment he opened the metal door to the laboratory, a loud explosion shook the entire floor, and the alarms immediately flashed red. Much to Daniel's surprise, the familiar howl of the alerts was missing.

"I deactivated it," came the answer to his silent musings. A silhouette in a teal protective suit emerged from behind the screen of smoke. "Since these things go off three times a day…no point going deaf, don't you think, dear?" Omaurice—Oma, for short—Desala removed the mask that shielded her face, giving her son a cheerful smile. "I almost did it this time! Took the fuel a whole eight point three seconds to blow up!"

Daniel examined the isolated room that contained the remains of her experiment. The protective glass was blackened from the explosion, but he could make out some pieces of metal strewn about the room.

"Well…that _does_ look encouraging…" he lied.

"Oh, who am I kidding…" Oma dropped into a chair, pulling off her rubber gloves with a frustrated gesture. "I'm _this_ close to being kicked out of here, and this boneheaded contraption is no closer to working than it was on day one."

"You know that's not true," he countered, draping an arm around her shoulders (the soot covered him up to the elbow) and giving an encouraging squeeze. "This is the most advanced facility in the country, and you're the brightest mind they've got. You'll figure it out eventually."

She looked up at him, smiling almost against herself.

"You're just saying that to get on my good side."

"Well, you do supply my daily coffee, so that's the side I need to be on."

She gave a small laugh, then gazed dreamily inside the blackened experiment room.

"Well, the clean-up crew will be here in a few seconds, now that the alarms have stopped. In the meantime, why don't you help me test the new alloy I've been working on?"

"Is it going to explode?" She gave him a mock-menacing glare, and he raised his palms defensively. "Nevermind."

A few minutes later, he was watching her place a small metal plate into a disproportionately larger machine, one that took up half a wall. Oma checked the settings, introduced a few commands into the control panel, then pulled what seemed to be the activation lever. A few control leds lit up, and the machine let out a high-pitched buzz.

"This is the lowest strain level," she explained, as she usually did whenever he was around for one of her experiments, "if it tests well on this one—which it had better, with all the work I've put into it—I'll crank it up a little, and so on…you know the story. We need to get to stress level twelve in order for this thing to be an eligible material."

He marginally understood the explanations, as usual.

"Did any of the materials make that stress level?"

She gave him a long look, as though pondering whether or not to answer the question, then finally nodded.

"Actually…one of them did."

Chewing on her lower lip, she pulled the lever back to its original position, and the machine stopped hissing. With a sigh, she leaned her back against it, giving her son another meditative glance. Tilting his head ever so slightly, Daniel pulled the closest chair and sat, arching his eyebrows in obvious puzzlement. Silently, he watched as his mother took a deep breath, bracing herself to speak.

"I've been wondering whether or not to tell you this." She stopped for another second, then nodded as though encouraging herself. "Well, here goes. Remember the engraved piece you brought back from Egypt?"

He frowned slightly.

"You mean, the one I asked you to analyze, because I couldn't recognize the metal? What's that got to d—" His eyes suddenly widened as he realized what she was saying. "Wait…you mean that it—the piece—the metal…?"

"Took a twenty-four stress level...with barely a scratch."

For a long moment, Daniel could not speak, as his mind frantically processed the implications of her words. The inscribed piece of metal he had found investigating the pyramids in Egypt was more resistant than any of the metal alloys his mother and her team had been able to create. Oma watched him with understanding, knowing perfectly well what her discovery meant to him. Quietly, she turned back to the machine, activating it once more. Finally, one long minute after she had given him the news, Daniel spoke again.

"You…you have to tell them! This proves that my theory is correct! I'll finally get the support for my thesis! They won't be able to refuse this—"

"Won't they?" she quietly questioned.

He seemed unable to comprehend her for a second, then shook his head with vehemence.

"No! No, of course not! Who can ignore something like that under their very eyes? You have the proof, proof that that metal didn't come from _Earth_! And I found in at Gizah! We have to tell them!"

She thoughtfully bit her upper lip, crossing her arm with a long sigh.

"Look, Daniel…I'm not saying you're not right. I _know_ you are…but neither your word nor mine have a lot of weight right now…curse of the enlightened minds I'm afraid," she chuckled in an attempt to chase the bitter disappointment from his face. "Anything we infer from that piece of metal…it won't be believed. I have another suggestion."

"What?" he asked listlessly.

"I'll try to reverse engineer it…see if I can get a more significant quantity. I'll use it for the project. They can easily overlook a piece of inscribed metal about the size of your hand, but not a whole—"

"But it could take months to finish it! Years!" His face got slightly redder, as it usually did when he was angry. "Think how much could be researched, investigated in that time, if only they'd assign more teams to Egypt, think what could be discovered there!"

She placed a soothing hand on his arm.

"I know, dear…but I don't think anyone will listen to us now."

For another long moment, none of them said anything. Finally, Daniel sighed in defeat.

"Fine. You try your way. I'll try mine…I'll write more papers, offer more lectures…" He looked towards the huge machine that still buzzed in the background. "Do you think you can replicate the metal?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Oma pulled the lever, activating a cooling mechanism before she went to retrieve the alloy from the machine. Holding it up for him to see, she gave an encouraging smile. "Bit thinner…melted somewhat…but it's definitely a step ahead. Give me a few weeks…I'll get it to work."

He smiled at her, feeling slightly more optimistic.

"I know you will."

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_A few weeks later__…_

A shiver seemed to run through the crowded street cutting through the university campus, as the stately Hathon made her way down, drawing admiring and craving looks from men as well as women. She greeted them with a pleasant smile, relishing the well-deserved attention, but did not dignify a single person with a second glance. They were all little, expandable and inconsequential, and none of them had any purpose except, naturally, to admire and envy her, and deservedly so. Her chosen one was not there, but she was on her way to getting him, and a strange kind of excitement ran through her at the thought of finally getting what she had chased after for so long. A man intelligent, attractive and profound, which was no more that the least someone of her beauty could ask for.

"Oh boy…" The same chubby girl tailed her merrily. "Daniel's gonna get the surprise of his life, huh Hathon?"

"Oh yes…this is his lucky day," the red-haired woman smiled cryptically. She tightened her grip around the plastic file in her hand, gracing it with a satisfied glance.

Finally, she left the campus and came to the small house that Daniel and his crazy mother inhabited. Measuring the residence with a critical eye, she was content to realize no one would possibly choose to live there when she offered to share her own place—well, with Daniel, at least. The old witch could rot in that little box of a house. Finally, with one last look at the crowd of awed followers that had almost unconsciously tailed her, she rang the bell.

"Hathon…what a, eh, pleasant surprise…"

"Isn't it? Well," she murmured, slithering by him into the offensively small house, "I'm just full of surprises."

Daniel closed the door with a small roll of his eyes, and turned to watch Hathon give herself an approving glance in the tall mirror in his hall. Stretching the limits of acceptable social behavior, he decided _not_ to ask her to sit, _not_ to offer a drink, _not_ to ask what brought her there…indeed, if he thought it would have made a difference, he would not have talked to her at all. But of course, his reluctance did nothing to daunt her, as the woman sat—no, _slid_ into an armchair, carefully undulating every curve of her body, much to his exasperation—and turned to him with a Cheshire grin.

"You know, Daniel…there isn't a man on this planet who would not want to be in your shoes. Well…this is the day. This is the day your dreams come true."

Leaning against the doorframe, he gave her an expressionless look.

"What do you know about my dreams, Hathon?"

"Plenty…" she leaned seductively towards him, and Daniel wondered how much stress the arm of the chair could take before snapping and sending her sprawling to the floor. "Picture this…every day…me and you, alone…you massaging me with hot scented oil in the Jacuzzi…" She played idly with the bulky locket around her neck, waving it in front of her generous cleavage. "Look at me, Daniel, and tell me that you have never craved this."

"The locket?" he asked blankly.

"Its wearer," she purred back.

"Well, actually, judging by shape and design, that type of locket was originally worn by the eunuch guards buried alive with their dead female ruler in some ancient societies. So, erm, no."

She stood, walking up to him with a slight swagger.

"And you could be the one waiting behind the scenes whenever I win a beauty contest…having what all other men can only watch and admire from a distance…"

"Uhm…imagine that," he deadpanned.

She opened the file in her hand to reveal a bunch of official-looking papers, and shoved them in his face with a smug smile.

"Here is a contract ready for you to sign, naming you my personal assistant…you won't have to hide in that murky library anymore, or _ever_ set foot into that laboratory…"

"Hm, ah, that's very, erm, tempting, but you see, I'm pursuing a doctorate…"

"Ah, yes…" she flipped a few pages, shoving the file in his face again. "Here is your precious degree…I wasn't too sure what to write down there…so I just left it blank for you to complete…after all, my _beloved,_" and the way she hissed the word made his hairs stand on end, "need be an educated man…"

"Hathon, this is a blatant fake!"

"Mmm…it's signed by all the right people," she murmured, putting her arms around his neck and applying a small pressure to bring their faces closer. "I know just how you can show me your gratitude…"

He somehow managed to wriggle out of her grasp, and almost raced to the front door, opening it with a gesture more violent than he'd intended. He actually had to go down the front steps to get her to follow him, then swiftly maneuvered so that he'd be back on the right side of the door and Hathon back outside, on the stone steps. He turned to her with a half-perplexed, perfunctory smile.

"Ah, you're very kind, I'm, uh, overwhelmed, but really, I don't deserve you."

And he shut the door without a second thought.

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**Thanks to everyone who sent me their thoughts on the previous chapter! I loved hearing from you, still do, so go ahead and share your comments :) all feedback is welcome! **

**SC**


	3. Chapter 3

**This part strays a little from the fairytale plot, as additions/adaptations are needed to keep the storyline as close to coherent as possible. Hopefully you will enjoy it nonetheless:)! **

**Chapter III**

That was it. The project that had taken years to complete, virtually the coronation of her life's work, what many had labeled an insane contraption worthy of science fiction, but not of the 'real world'. Oma snickered disdainfully.

"You've no idea what the real world even is."

But she would show them. After long years of hopeless research and failed experiments, she had finally done it. Daniel's metal resisted a twenty-four stress level, her replica a mere fourteen, but it was more than enough. Used to build the fuel tank, it stabilized the fuel beyond the critical third escape speed. The revolutionary system had been ready for testing ages ago, and she had finally been able to design its proper testing environment.

"The computer simulations are _perfect_!" Her senior assistant's enthusiastic voice interrupted Oma's musings. "I've double checked the strength and modified the surface welding to allow for the eventual fourth degree of freedom! The computers are coordinated with your mechanism, all the programs should execute…" Her voice reached a high pitch before she caught herself and finished in a more normal tone, that nonetheless still seeped excitement. "This could really work! Really, _really_ work!"

"Thanks, Sam," Oma replied with a happy smile. "Good to know it's got your faith. Did all the engineering teams give us a go?"

"Almost…they're all really excited!"

"_No_…I wouldn't have guessed," Oma laughed quietly. "All our people have been looking at me as though they expect me to start flapping my arms, shoot through the air and break orbit. Everyone else is placing bets on my firing date," she finished with a derisive shrug.

"That's because _they_ have no idea," Sam frowned. "We've been working on this for ages…all of us here trusted you from the start, Oma, and we'll all be there to take snapshots when you bring your success to their stuck-up faces."

The older woman felt uncomfortably misty-eyed.

"This means a lot, Sam…" She thrust her chin forward, squaring her shoulders. "Well then, I guess this better work, since all our jobs depend on it, and we'll be out of here faster than you can say 'myopic bureaucrats' if we don't pull it off!"

"Are you kidding, it takes ages to say 'myopic bureaucrats'," Sam grinned. "You have to run it through the proper channels…"

"Get the research approval—" another assistant joined in.

"—and the testing approval—" added a programmer who had just completed the tenth simulation.

"Although of course, it is _obviously_ 'impossible' to say it…" Sam continued.

"You'd have to be crazy to try—"

"—and all the people working for you just as crazy—"

"—to waste government resources on that."

They all laughed, and Oma nodded her silent gratitude.

"Okay people…what are you all standing around for? We don't get any accolades until our module is out of the solar system at a faster-than-light speed. You all saw the simulations and the tests work out…let's make it real and show everyone just how small a world this is."

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It was beautiful. Bulky, misshapen, lopsided on its support platform, creaky, obnoxiously colored…and beautiful. Even looking at the trails of dirt on its sides from the transport to the testing area, she dared even the most famous renaissance artist to craft a thing more wonderful that her hulking module.

"This piece of junk's supposed to fly faster than light?"

"I'll be damned if it even clears the ground."

"Hey, if they're gonna waste our tax money, might as well be on this huge wreck."

Oma's eyes narrowed dangerously as the words of the transport people reached her, and she cast them a glare so disdainful and intense than they were immediately hushed. But their mockery still echoed in her head, causing the corners of her lips to draw downwards in sadness and concern. If the test flight failed, it would be the end of her.

"Don't let them get to you." Sam had appeared at her side, obviously having heard the sniggering men. "The closest they ever came to building anything was probably middle school science fair.What do they know?"

"It's not just them, Sam, you know it. Everyone thinks our module will fail, even those who authorized it in the first place. Just another fruitless project to waste taxpayers' money," she commented with a bitter smile. "Sometimes I wonder if they let us go on only to have something to ridicule."

"Does it matter why they allowed it? It's done, your module, your life's work is finally finished and you aren't going to lose courage now, of all times!"

Oma laughed silently at her friend's indignation.

"I'm disappointed in their bigoted attitude, Sam, not in my module. I _know_ we did it right, and I'm going to enjoy seeing them swallow those smug grins." Her voice took on a wistful note for a moment. "I just wish Daniel were here to watch it with us."

"You couldn't get him authorized to come, after all?"

"Not for the lack of trying, but you know the script. Top-secret, government personnel only, highest security and all that. They barely let _us_ be here, and we built the damn thing."

A clamor some small distance away from them announced the departure of the transportation trucks, and Oma watched her module once more. It stood, silent and unsightly, on a large patch of dried-up earth away from the observation vehicles and all the observers. They were growing agitated as the launching time neared, and she could hear them shouting to her team to do one last check, one final look-over. An awful lot of uproar for a project that no one trusted to work. But they had to keep up a professional façade, Oma guessed. She could see the badly hidden sniggers and the meaningful rolls of eyes nonetheless. They made her blood boil.

"Damn it, Sam, I'm not going to let them screw this up for us with their indifference and disdain," she resolved. "I'm going to talk to that pilot, myself."

She did not look forward to that. No one had volunteered to test fly her module, but the powers that be had eventually assigned one of their pilots to the job. He had been cooperative, Oma admitted that much. He had listened to her instructions and dutifully offered the required feedback with a minimum of scorn. But he, like his superiors, derided her idea, and that made him unfit for the job in her book. Unfortunately, her book had not been selling very well lately.

"Commander Philippe," she greeted. "Good luck today."

"Thanks," he replied with a perfunctory nod. He made as if to go, then seemed to change his mind. "Look, no one really thinks so, but…I hope the ship flies like in the simulations."

"It's going to!" Oma declared exasperatedly. "But you have to trust it! Go with it! Don't fight it when you're up there, don't make it fail just because you think it's going to!"

Her passionate discourse did not seem to build his confidence.

"Right…I know what to do, we went over the procedure a hundred times. I'll push all the right buttons at all the right times…that should do the trick, right?"

Just like before, her efforts to win him over were slightly less rewarding than banging her head against a brick wall. The man was locked in his belief that, no matter how well the simulations had worked, the module was just another rocket and would behave just like one, too. At best. And Oma had a depressing vision of the test flight ruined by a skeptical, overly cautious pilot. She swallowed hard.

"Right…you just do what you know works best," she replied in a distant voice. "And I'll do the same."

She had already turned away from him, when the pilot called after her:

"I guess I should reciprocate…good luck!"

Oma let out a faint chuckle, and gave Philippe a small nod of her own.

"I'll certainly need it," she acknowledged, then turned on her heels and headed away from the man, leaving him to discuss the parameters of his mission with his cynical superiors. She heard a couple more sniggers as she walked, but decidedly ignored them, making a beeline for the module. She stopped a few steps away from it, and watched the sunlight reflect off the shiny surface of the alloy she had worked so much to discover. Every square inch of it represented days of effort, every nail and wire and key in the ship told a story of her and her team's passionate work. And Oma was not about to let it all go to waste on account of a bunch of narrow-minded skeptics who just happened to be running the show. She squared her jaw and thrust her chin into the air in a rhetorical gesture of defiance…

"Oh, no, you don't! I know that look!"

Oma started. So focused was she on her inner musings, that she had not even heard Sam come from behind. The blonde physicist gave her a warning glance.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, it's my duty as your friend, coworker and as a rational human being to say…_don't_."

Outside the launching perimeter, someone was waving the first ready signal. People had lined up behind the protective barrier and Cmdr. Philippe was getting his equipment checked one last time.

"He's going to let it fail, Sam," Oma spoke in a faraway voice, "because he doubts it and because he doesn't really care. Do you want me to let an indifferent pilot screw up what could be—no, what _will_ be, the flight of the century?"

"Philippe is a good pilot," Sam argued, "he can pull it off, he was great in simulations, he has a spotless record and he's a really good flier—"

"But he doesn't have a _feel_ of the module! He didn't care to see it built, he just put in his required hours and I'm supposed to trust him with my life's work? He looks at it, and all he sees is another ship, a bunch of metal and computers! He doesn't see it like we do, like a dream!" She shook her head with an almost desperate scoff. "He may be a good flier, but that's _all_ he knows, how to pilot the module. He doesn't trust it. He has no idea how it works. He doesn't know it inside out like I do!"

"But _he_ can pilot it and _you_ can't!"

"Can't I?"

She had let the question slip in a low, wistful tone, barely more than a whisper, but Sam had caught it and been accordingly shocked. Oma almost laughed at the blonde's dumbfounded expression. Rendering Sam speechless was not an easy feat. And, surely enough, it did not last, for her friend quickly recovered and launched a tirade meant to dissuade her.

"Are you—are you—Oma, you know I respect you like my friend and my boss and a brilliant scientist, but are you _out of your mind_?"

"I _did_ work as a pilot for the military before starting to work at the laboratory, Sam. Where do you think the idea for this project came from?"

"Oma, that was years ago! You haven't flown anything since! And you weren't trained to for space flight! Philippe was out in space about fifty times, and he still undertakes training before each new mission!"

"He was out in space four times, Sam. _Four_. That's hardly fifty, and I'd been a pilot for more years when I quit than he is now."

"But…" Sam could see she fought a losing battle, but still held on to hope. "But you'd be putting the test flight even more at risk! We need the best possible pilot in that chair!"

"We need a pilot that trusts our work, someone who would do his or her best to make it succeed! That's not Philippe, that's me!"

"But you're not a pilot! And just because you used to be one when you were young doesn't mean—"

"I'm sorry," Oma arched an ironic eyebrow, "are you saying I'm too _old_ to fly?"

She drew herself up to her full height, silently playing the superior-authority card. Unfortunately, Sam would not be cowered.

"They'll never let you do it," she tried a different argument, nodding towards the people gathered outside the take-off area. "You know they won't!"

"That's exactly why I'm not asking for permission."

Sam let out a silent gasp, and had the common sense to keep her indignant exclamation to a low volume. Of course, that might have just been because her vocal chords were numbed by shock.

"You're going to _steal_ the module?!"

"Just borrow it for the test flight…"

"They'll have you arrested, you'll end up in prison!"

"Only if the test fails. In which case I won't really care about prison, Sam," Oma admitted. She then offered the blonde a sincere, if grave smile. "Look, I know you're only trying to dissuade me for my own good, but the bottom line is, it's _my_ idea, _my_ module and _I'm_ going to be flying it. Now, I'm not asking for your help because it would get you in huge trouble, nor," and she grinned, "by virtue of being your boss, am I asking for your permission. But I would like to know I have your support, off the record, even if you'll have to testify against me in court later on."

Sam opened her mouth to argue once more, then gave up with a long sigh and defeated slump of her shoulders.

"I wish we'd thought of adding in an extra seat," she finally said, and Oma and her shared a smile.

"Thanks, Sam. Now get out of here, so they can't pin this on you. Go pat Philippe on the back, or something."

"I'll go search the yellow pages for a good lawyer." She stared down at the earth for a long moment, then raised a half-excited, half-worried look towards Oma. "Good luck!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Two minutes later..._

"It's almost take-off time, sirs" one of the technicians mentioned.

"Might as well keep this on schedule," said another voice to his right, only to be answered with a low-volume snicker:

"Doubt it'll take too long, anyway. We'll all be home by lunchtime."

Commander Philippe dismissed the comments with a mental shrug. Squaring his shoulders, he turned towards the module he would pilot in a few minutes at light speed…

…and felt his jaw slacken, as his eyes fell on an unlikely scene.

A good two hundred yards away, Oma Desala, the stubborn, eccentric and by all popular opinions slightly insane head of the project, was decidedly climbing into the module, swaying slightly as one of her legs momentarily slipped. But she quickly recovered footing, and slipped inside the shuttle, giving them a long, almost challenging look before the door shut with a metallic _clank_.

Philippe was still in shock when chaos erupted all around him. Technicians and supervisors yelled in surprise and anger, while the government people sputtered furiously, hands moving around in ample, useless gestures as they shouted instructions.

"What does she think she's doing!"

"That's government property!"

"Stop her! What are you waiting for, incompetents, _stop her_!!"

"She's initiated take-off procedures," someone cried.

Sam watched in near-fascination as the engines started, causing the air around them to shimmer under the heat. The noise quickly escalated as well, and she covered her ears as the strong, hot draft ruffled her hair and burned her cheeks. Though she was not prone to do so, she muttered a quick prayer, for luck, when she recognized the take-off protocols engage. The bulky module shook dangerously on its platform, and the roar of the engines was deafening.

And then it lifted off the ground, and Sam felt a jolt of pride for Oma.

"It works!" she shouted, though the ear-splitting noise drowned out her words. "You did it! You really did it!"

Less than a minute passed before the module was out of sight, and everyone slowly came out of their daze. The government people rushed furiously into the technician's highly-equipped vans.

"Track her! I want to know where that module lands!"

"Get the satellites online _now_!"

"When that woman gets back—"

"I got it, Sir!" one of the technicians cried out. "It's showing up on one of the radars," and he pointed out to a small dot on the screen. Sam swallowed hard. "It's reached the lower region of the thermosphere, now it seems moving west, at a speed of 800—no, 900—wait…"

"Determine its trajectory and tell me where it's going to land!" the man in charge demanded curtly.

"Hard to tell, Sir, it's going for the first escape velocity by the looks of it, we'll have to track it when it re-enters atmosphere…"

Sam nervously bit her lower lip. The module was designed to reach faster-than-light speed once it had escape the Earth's gravitational influence.

"Satellites still picking it up," the technician continued reporting, "the module's reached critical velocity…it broke free of Earth's gravitational field, Sir! No—" Sam's heart gave a painful lurch, "our instruments show it's losing speed…about to fall into an outer orbit…"

"I want an open line to that thing, _now_! Tell that woman to get back here before we order her and her module blown up to pieces!"

"Yes, Sir—wait! It's picking up speed again! Satellite readings show an almost four hundred percent increase—five hundred—it's getting harder to track, Sir, attempting to connect to long-distance satellites—yes, there we have it, and it's still picking up—"

"Get that damn thing back here!"

"Sir…" The technician turned in his seat, looking up to the man shouting furiously behind him. "It's gone."

That seemed to stay all conversation, and a dead silence fell inside the van.

"What do you mean," the government official repeated slowly, "gone?"

The technician looked at the screen.

"Even long-distance satellites lost it, Sir. Last received velocity readings are off the scale…! I think…" He shook his head, rubbing his cheeks in sheer disbelief. "I think she's jumped to faster-than-light speed…Sir."

Sam smirked. She only wished Oma had been there to see their faces.

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**Thanks to everyone who sent me their thoughts on the previous chapter! I loved hearing from you, still do, so go ahead and share your comments :) all feedback is welcome! **

**SC**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter III**

Meanwhile, the cause of their collective indignation had problems of her own. Smooth as the take-off might have appeared from the outside, it had been anything but. And Oma was starting to get an inkling that faster-than-light speed might have been indeed suited for younger, stronger bodies than her own.

The little ship shook from all joints, and her hands flew frantically over the controls. She knew the systems so well that she could almost _see_ every single electric signal slide down a cable and translate into a stabilizer going online, or an extra weight being discarded, or an emergency beacon being activated. Unfortunately, neither her extensive knowledge of the module nor the emergency beacon seemed to help her situation much. She had exited hyperspace with a wobbly vessel and half-fried circuits and almost collided with a small moon orbiting a completely unfamiliar planet. She read space radiation levels that even her carefully engineered—or rather, reverse engineered, with Daniel's engraved piece as a starting point—metal alloy could not withstand indefinitely, fourteen stress level and all.

Real circumstances took real pilots, Sam had said, but not even real pilots could deal with _that_ much reality. Red lights flashed at her from inside, and all kinds of debris hit the hull from outside, and Oma decided that hers must have been the worst successful test flight _ever_. She did not even want to think of how little oxygen she had left. The module would not have resisted another hyperspace round, but she listlessly hit the command nonetheless. Not at all surprisingly, the system was unresponsive.

She did not panic. She had worked on the module for years, had spent endless hours figuring out every single detail of the flight, from the fuel requirements to the computer/operator interface to the material that built the pilot's chair. If anyone could fix it, she could—but not in outer space, that much she knew. Her Air Force training might have—if _vastly_ extrapolated—prepared her for piloting the module at hyperspeed, but Oma was quite sure it did not enable her to breathe in void. Well, there were other options.

With a quick check, she established that the landing program could definitely work, maybe.

Through the protective window, she looked at the planet below…it looked blue and round and cloudy, and not so different from her Earth. Maybe a completely alien planet surrounded by (another loud _clang_ informed her that the hull was still taking serious battering) dangerous debris was not her ideal safe port in a storm, but it would have to do. Her module was configured to reenter Earth's atmosphere, and Oma only hoped the same configuration would work for her current circumstances. Of course, the design only involved one reentry protocol and she was sure the module was not intended to ever take off again after the test flight. Then again, it was not intended to indefinitely support life in outer space either. She quickly decided her chances were better if she ignored the former rather than the latter.

Swallowing hard, she steered the small vessel towards the planet.

* * *

_Minutes later, down on the surface..._

"Hello? Hello?" The strange woman who had crashed in the rusty bolt bucket seemed to have heard them, and was carefully peering through the dense foliage, not quite daring to leave the meadow where she had landed her vessel.

"Lady must've gotten lost to end up on this backwater planet," Mitchell opined.

"I nonetheless advise silence. It would be preferable if she departed soon."

Mitchell opened his mouth to retort, but the woman's shout ("Is someone there?") cut him off. He shook his head, carefully sneaking closer to her, out of sight but close enough to get a better look. She did not look at all dangerous, and not at all like a bounty hunter or rebel or anyone else from the half of the galaxy that wanted their and their boss's heads on a platter.

"I don't mean to intrude…" she was saying, though in a lower tone, as though she did not really expect someone to hear, "but I need a place to repair my, erm, transportation…"

"Come on, Teal'c, show a little heart, eh?" Mitchell nudged the other, earning himself an eyebrow quirked in obvious dissatisfaction. Before he could be stopped however, he raised his voice a little, struggling to get through the thick foliage to the clearing. "Of course, this is a safe place to stay."

Oma's jaw dropped. Had she just heard someone _reply_ to her silly declarations, and had she actually _comprehended_ the answer? She swiveled on her heels, anxiously searching the forest for the source of the voice.

"Who said that?"

Mitchell's jacket had caught in a rebel tree branch, and he pulled to release it.

"Over here!" he called from behind her, finally emerging into the clearing.

"Oh!!" Oma jumped at the sudden apparition, quickly retreating until her back hit the cold hull of the module. Her wide eyes took in the newcomer: he _looked_ human, he _spoke_ to her… "Incredible!"

A second man emerged from behind the first one, wearing a very disgruntled expression.

"I believe your actions to be _most_ unwise, Mitchell," he growled in a throaty voice. Oma gasped at his appearance; tall, muscular and unflinching, he looked stranger than any man she had ever seen, and more intimidating. However, his friend did not seem to think so, as he rolled his eyes and gave her a wink. Encouraged by the light-haired man's open smile, she approached the two of them with unfeigned curiosity. Almost involuntarily, her hand extended to the disgruntled alien's forehead, adorned by a shiny golden…pretzel. Intrigued, she pressed a finger against it, surprised to feel it almost warm to the touch.

"I suggest you refrain from doing that," the behemoth rumbled, giving her a menacing frown, and she quickly pulled back her hand. Everything was so surreal…

"I beg your pardon…is that I've never seen an alien…that is…I've never…"

The adrenaline was finally wearing off, and much to her own surprise, Oma felt her legs give out. She swayed slightly, and was grateful to feel the friendlier man's steadying arm around her waist.

"Oh, did you get hurt in the crash?" he asked solicitously. "We can help with some emergency medicine and supplies…and you need a place to rest."

"Well…"she gestured vaguely towards the module, "I'll just have to stay here until it's fixed, guess my ship is as good a place as any."

The man—Mitchell, as his friend had called him—gave her a dubious look.

"Lady, with all due respect, my grandma's grass mower looks more like a ship than your bucket of bolts."

Weary and shocked she might have been, but Oma could still reward his comment with a revolted scowl, and he put his hands up in the air ("Just saying…"), then raised his index commanding her attention.

"Tell you what…why don't we try to help you fix this—"

"Provided that you first offer evidence," the behemoth cut him off with a warning glare, "that you are who you presume to be."

Mitchell rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Teal'c, does she look like a bounty hunter to you? And _that_," he sniggered, pointing to the battered module, "is not exactly the Lucian Alliance family ship model there, and look, lady, you haven't got a snake in your head, do you?" Bemused, Oma could only shake her head. "No? Thought so." He turned back to Teal'c. "That good enough for you?"

"Hardly," the taller man deadpanned. "This has been a most unfortunate encounter."

Mitchell gave her another encouraging wink.

"That's Jaffa for 'our services are at your disposal'," he translated.

Oma opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly found a blackened gun barrel shoved in her face, and a third voice spoke icily.

"And _this_," the owner of the voice drawled with a small wave of the gun, "is universal for 'move a muscle and you're dead'."

* * *

Oma swallowed hard as the newcomer—a dark-haired woman with cold, grey eyes that glinted dangerously—circled her like a tiger pacing a cage.

"Well, well," the woman spoke, "a stranger in my little _deserted_ corner of this planet." Her falsely mellow tone suddenly sharpened. "Who are you?"

"Vala, come on," Mitchell argued in a low tone, "can't you see what she was flying? No wonder she crashed here—"

"Or so she states," Teal'c frowned, "yet we have no certainty that she is not, in fact, a mercenary or a spy."

The woman—Vala, they called her—seemed to agree with him, and Oma's breath caught in her throat as the gun was once more pointed right between her eyebrows.

"I won't ask again…Who. Are you," Vala demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah-I…" her own voice sounded dismally squeaky to her ears, and Oma suddenly felt a wave of rightful indignation run through her. She was a scientist, newly a pioneer, and deserved respect! "I'm just lost, my module malfunctioned, I'm not looking for any trouble. I just need to fix it and I'll be out of here—and if you want me off this planet faster, you're just going to have to give me a hand!"

There! She had finally regained her footing and stood up for herself! After all, alien or not, these people had no right to treat her like a criminal! (Although, having technically _stolen_ the module pretty much made her into one. But they didn't have to know that.) She felt her dire situation could be solved with a bit of communication. Unfortunately for her, Vala did not feel the same way, and Oma grew concerned as the brunette laughed ominously.

"I can think of an even _better_ way to get you off this planet," she murmured, a dangerous smile on her lips. Oma was about to add something else to her defense when she noticed the other's finger squeeze the trigger; she was blinded by a hot, bright light, then her world plunged into darkness.

* * *

** Note: the previous chapter has been slightly edited, with a small bit added in for continuity purposes. **

**Thank you for reading:)**

**SC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

Among the dusty, time-worn pages of the books stacked on his desk, Daniel finally felt his sense of balance and peace return. He absent-mindedly traced a finger on the sandy screen of the tabletop clock and shook his head with a silent chuckle. Warmed by sunlight filtering through the wooden-framed window, thick tomes and notebooks seemed to return a friendly echo of his quiet laughter.

"Is she gone," he wondered aloud, risking a glance through the window down to the street outside. Mercifully, no conceited, distastefully loud airhead plagued the front steps, and the cortege of awe-stricken, goggle-eyed men (and women!) seemed to have vanished as well. "Her 'personal assistant'…right."

He sniggered disdainfully, wondering just why Hathon had chosen him of all men whose existences she could have blighted. Still a little worked up about her ill-mannered proposition, he circled his small room reasoning loudly with himself.

"Mister Hathon. I can just see it!" With a roll of his eyes, he pictured that rather bleak future. "Mister Hathon, her…trophy man!"

Well, not if _he_ had a say in it. Daniel's eyes fell on the cover of the ancient collection he had been allowed to check out a few weeks earlier. The old symbols seemed to call out to him, whispering of a world and a future so much bigger than anyone could imagine. He took in the wrinkled pages filled with his attempts at deciphering and correlating the messages. He had had so many theories, so many passionate expositions of the endless possibilities that lay with the ancient pyramids and mythology.

"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere…I want it more than I can tell…"

So often it felt as though he were on the verge of a monumental discovery, but the constant rebuttals and mockery always prevented him from taking that last step. He could not help wishing there had been someone to share his vision, someone willing to think outside the box and truly explore all the potential his searches had uncovered.

Sure, his mother had been supportive all along, but she was always busy with her own controversial projects. And even she quirked a skeptical eyebrow at some of his more elaborate speculations of ancient alien societies and their impact on current Earth civilizations. Ultimately, he felt she expected him to settle for the recognition of one of his less eccentric theories. The professors expected him to eventually 'outgrow' his passion for the secrets of the pyramids and come up with a respectable, _conventional_ thesis. Heck, even Hathon had expectations: that he would push aside his passionate life's work and follow her blindly behind the scenes of some beauty pageant or other.

Granted, some expectations were more far-fetched than others. Still, none of them came even close to what Daniel hoped for his future.

"I want so much more than they've got planned…" he murmured to himself with a sad shake of his head. Maybe one day he would uncover the final, undeniable proof. Maybe—

A loud knock on the door interrupted his musings. He let out a muted groan as he moved to open. So help him, if it was that irritating woman again—

"Sam!"

Daniel was somewhat surprised to find his mother's senior assistant standing on his doorstep, looking fairly disheveled, with a look of mixed excitement and horror on her face.

"Sam, what's wrong? What are you doing here?" He could feel his own pulse quickening as she shook her head in agitation. "Where's mom?"

Sam walked past him, entering his home without an invitation, but he was too worried to even note that. Once inside, she closed the door behind them and turned to him.

"Daniel…she's…she…" She was too nervous to form a coherent phrase. "You won't believe what happened—holy Hannah, it's—it's insane—Oma, she—I couldn't…"

"Where is she, Sam?" He gripped her by the shoulders, now almost desperate for an answer. "What happened?"

She took a deep breath to calm herself, then looked at him with a faux-composed expression.

"She took off."

It took a second for the words to settle. Having expected much worse, Daniel was baffled by the news.

"She…she 'took off'? You mean she left? But…why…when…" He could not make sense of it. "On the day of your big test flight? She'd been talking about this for…forever! Why would she leave?"

"No, no, Daniel, you don't understand." Sam shook her head, fixing him with a meaningful stare. "She left _on_ the big test flight. She took off. Literally. In the module." She allowed him another moment for the information to sink in, then nodded warily when he finally directed an utterly shocked gaze to her.

"You mean…you mean she _piloted_ it?"

He had to ask out loud, in the hope that maybe, just maybe he had misunderstood Sam. But no chance of that. She only nodded again, gravely, though a hint of amused admiration glinted in her eyes. As a sudden headache beset him, Daniel could do nothing but pinch the bridge of his nose and let out a painful, stricken groan. Sam gave him a while to take in the news.

"It worked," she added quietly after a prolonged, befuddled silence. "Just like the simulations…no, _better_! It just…cleared ground…whirred around a bit…then it was gone, just like that, out of sight and off our radars. Velocity readings were off the scale." She had allowed the excitement to drip into her tone, and quickly checked herself. "I mean…at least that'll give Oma some leverage when she comes back. I'm sure they'll care more about the success of the test flight than the…eh…" she grimaced in half-amusement, half-apprehension, "…unconventional piloting."

Daniel just shook his throbbing head. Wasn't it parents who were supposed to worry about their offspring taking off on wild quests? Yet here he was, a veritable, non-exciting library mouse, while his mother designed faster-than-light traveling modules and decided she'd fly them on a whim. Things were not right with the world.

"So…what now?" he finally asked. "When is she scheduled to come back?"

Sam's expression grew grim.

"That's the thing…she was supposed to be back by now. I mean…it was really not that easy to appreciate the duration of the test flight, but we kind of planned for a short one. Except…Oma might have decided to push the module a little more."

Daniel fixed her with an exasperated stare.

"Are you saying my _mother_ is out there somewhere…_gallivanting_ in an untested module _at faster-than-light speeds_?!"

Sam winced, her entire body tensing defensively.

"Daniel, I tried to stop her, I swear, but she'd have none of that!"

He exhaled slowly, with another groan, and Sam hurried to offer more explanations:

"She always did say it could take a lot more than what the government was willing to try on it. In fact, with the alloy she designed…" She paused for a second, giving Daniel a short glance that let him know Sam was perfectly aware where the alloy had come from, and how his mother had reverse-engineered it. "She made it so the module would take considerably longer exposure to both faster-than-light stress and deep-space factors," she resumed. "So if I had to guess why Oma's not back by now, I'd say…I'd say she decided to _really_ test it."

Daniel bit his lips, not really knowing whether he should feel annoyed, concerned, proud or desperate, and finally opting for a little of each, as he addressed Sam once more:

"Great. So, now what? How do we know if she's okay? How do we get her to come back? Not to mention keep her out of jail," he added as an afterthought. "Oh, Sam…we have to find her. Before she gets herself into more trouble…"

Sam let herself slide down in a chair.

"Okay…I've got an idea." She waited for his nod before continuing. "I know the returning protocols are set for a certain set of coordinates, so they—the government, the military forces…"

"Everyone that she's pissed off by stealing the module in the first place," Daniel provided.

"Exactly," agreed Sam. "All of them will probably be expecting her to land at those coordinates, whenever she decides to do that. But knowing Oma, she'll anticipate their expectations and reprogramming the protocols will be a piece of cake to her."

"So now she'll be not only stealing government property, but also evading the authorities," Daniel deadpanned. "That's fun."

"Just…give me a sec, okay?" Sam shrugged. "I haven't figured out the legal bits yet, let's stick with the science stuff. I'm good at that," she added with a grin.

"Right."

"So," she resumed, "I'm assuming Oma will try and hide from satellite detection once she gets back. What we have to do is try to locate the module once it reenters our system, and track it to its landing place."

"I'm with you so far," said Daniel.

"The core programming and blueprints are at the lab…using those and the readings I got during the take off, I think I can modify one of the radars to scan for the specific emission patterns of the module. Compensating for the mass and vector inputs with an algorithm of energy pattern recognition, which should—once I've managed to expand the scanning radius to the higher thermosphere—produce an accurate prediction model…"

She trailed off, taking in Daniel's carefully neutral expression.

"I've lost you, haven't I?"

"Somewhere around radar scans."

"Sorry," she grimaced. "Bottom line, even if the satellites can't detect the mass or trajectory of the module, a modified radar program recognizing the unique radiation and energy configuration will tell us approximately where it is at a given time, once it's entered the atmosphere."

They both kept quiet for a second, while a different, grimmer prospect pushed its way to the front of their minds. What if something had gone wrong with the module? What if Oma was not, in fact, wandering around the galaxy on a pleasure trip, but found herself in desperate need for help? Both Daniel and Sam knew there was nothing they could do in the latter case. So they decided to focus on helping her once she came back. Because she _would_ come back. They refused to allow for any doubts on that.

* * *

**Thank you all for reading :) I hope you enjoyed it. I love hearing from you! **

**SC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Crowded and buzzing with activity during daytime, the laboratory building was all but deserted at night. The safety lights burnt dimly in the halls and a sleepy silence hung over the place, barely disturbed by the lazy whirr of the air-conditioners.

"Why do I feel like a museum burglar?"

"I would have said bank robber, but you're way closer to the mark." Sam chuckled softly at his muttered groan. "If it helps, _I_ technically have the right to be here. So, _you're_ the one breaking into a government facility, but we can always claim insanity in court. From what Oma told me, I'm sure they'd buy it."

"It doesn't help," Daniel whispered back, as he walked stealthily down the hall, pointing his flashlight at the neatly labeled doors of the laboratory. "Here it is," he said after a while, stopping in front of a familiar metal door.

"I _know_, Daniel, I worked here for the last three years or so, remember?"

"Sorry." He gave her a hopeful look. "You don't happen to have the keys, then, do you?"

Sam smirked, blue eyes twinkling almost mischievously as she fumbled inside the pocked of her kaki-colored vest.

"Not the keys, no. _But_," she smiled at his disappointed expression, "let me welcome you to the twenty-first century!" She produced a small card from the pocket and winked. "All those library doors are a bit old, aren't they? _This_ is how we do things nowadays. My access card should work, unless they cut off my clearance, which…" (the lock gave a soft _click_ as she swiped the card through the reader) "they didn't!"

"Nice," he grinned happily as the door opened, then his expression grew serious. "Thanks, Sam. Your help means a lot."

"Daniel, Oma trusted me with her life's work when I was just a recent graduate that no one took seriously. She was my mentor of sorts, if you will." Determination steeled her features. "I watched her take off in that module, and I'll be damned if I don't do my best to get her back." A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "And maybe break her out of jail afterwards…she did, _technically_, steal government property."

"Or, maybe, you'll be waiting to greet her behind bars," a male voice spoke behind the two of them, "since you did, _technically_, trespass onto government property."

Daniel and Sam swiveled to find themselves at the wrong end of several guns and flashlights. Neither could tell how so many men could have snuck up on them so silently, but a whole squad of black-clad agents had them surrounded in the crammed laboratory corridor.

"Doctor Jackson, I presume?" the apparent leader spoke again, taking a step towards Daniel, who simply nodded. "You're a hard man to find, doctor."

"Not that hard," Sam muttered bravely, "if you could trace him here, tonight!"

The man laughed.

"Yes, ironic, isn't it? Imagine my surprise to find my quarry breaking and entering into a government facility!" He turned his attention to Sam, measuring her from head to toe before nodding slightly. "And Doctor Carter, isn't it? Well, the circumstances may be…unusual, but they spare me and my team the double effort. You'll both have to come with us, please."

"Where?" Sam asked, just as Daniel sighed "Don't you have to read us our rights?"

"Never mind," Daniel nodded, "her question is better."

The leader gave them a long look and smiled beneath his bushy moustache.

"I'm just following orders, but if I'm not mistaken, doctors…you're both about to see your wishes come true."

* * *

Wishes come true, the military man (a so-called O'Neill) had said. Daniel rubbed tiredly at his eyes. Less than twenty-four hours before, his greatest worry had been making Hathon stop harassing him, and now there he was, in the bowels of God-only-knew what secret military facility, swamped with millennia-old puzzles and practically buried in books. Wishes come true, indeed.

He idly tapped his pencil on one of the symbols on the paper in front of him, and stared. The picture looked sloppy, with glyphs scattered on the page with no apparent logic. Mentally, Daniel counted them off. Six. He frowned. The pencil tapping stopped. He drew another symbol on the crinkly paper. Then, in a swift move, he traced a circle around the—now seven—markings.

* * *

Two hours later, he and Sam were making a rather hard case to the commander of the underground military base.

"I am an experienced astrophysicist, a double-graduate in aerospace engineering and pretty much the only scientific mind on this world who has had _any _experience with faster-than-light travel!" Sam glared at O'Neill across the meeting room table. "I connected the alternative power generator to the stargate, and I'm not going to stand back and see someone else walk through the damn thing!"

"For cryin' out loud, you're a—"

"Woman?" Sam retorted angrily. "Well tough luck! I won't be left behind just because my reproductive organs are on the inside, and you'll just have to deal with that!"

Colonel Jack O'Neill stared at her, arms crossed.

"I was going to say, 'a civilian'," he remarked calmly, "but now I'm thinking I should add 'pain in the ass' to the list."

"That's enough, Colonel…" General Hammond shook his head. "We are going to need someone on the other side who can handle this alien technology…Dr. Carter, you're in."

Sam beamed. "Thanks."

Daniel immediately shifted in his chair, drawing attention to himself. O'Neill rolled his eyes.

"Don't even think about it," he warned.

"I'm the one who figured out how to activate the gate in the first place!" Daniel protested. "I'm the one who suggested the symbols as 'dialing' addresses. I have a degree in linguistics and about to have a second degree in archaeology, I'm the best person to take on a mission to new and unexplored planet and—" he took a deep breath, "my _mother_ is out there in this galaxy in a ship the size of a shower cubicle and I plan to _find_ her! So I'm going! Or else I'm not giving you the dialing coordinates I figured out for the return to Earth," he finished with a huff.

General Hammond rolled his eyes.

"Dr. Jackson…welcome to SG-1."

* * *

_Two days later, on the planet where Oma's ship had crashed…_

"You seem unable to remain inconspicuous, do you not think so? Just feel the compulsion to extend unnecessary assistance."

"I was just trying to be hospitable," Mitchell protested Teal'c's observations.

The Jaffa was just regaling him with a trademark eyebrow-arched-in-skeptical-display, when the sound of various voices reached them. Instantly alert, they both fell silent and tried to determine the source of the disturbance. Advancing cautiously through the underbrush, the approached an all-too-familiar clearing. As they got a clear view, Mitchell's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me? Is that what I think it is?"

"It appears a party has arrived through the Chapa'ai."

"Yeah, for the record, that's what I thought it was." He exchanged a serious glance with Teal'c, then looked towards the gate, squinting against the sun. "How long do you think they've been here?"

"I do not know."

They watched the group around the gate for a while, paying attention to their movements and actions.

"Looks like they've discovered the dialing device is damaged and they're trying to fix it!" Mitchell concluded, then gave his partner a sideways glance. "Think they can do it?"

Teal'c studied the array of cables and other suspicious devices that the strangers had connected to the Chapa'ai.

"I am unfamiliar with their type of technology," he finally admitted. "However, if they do succeed in activating the Chapa'ai without a dialing device, we should use the opportunity."

"My thoughts exactly," said Mitchell. He surveyed the group once more, taking in their weapons. A small shadow of doubt passed over his face, but he quickly chased it away. "Those guns don't look too friendly."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, gripping his staff just a little tighter.

"Vala?" Mitchell hit the communication device they had recently acquired, but got only static. "Vala, can you hear me?" He tapped the small box again, with the same results. "Damn, I knew we should've double checked Caius's merchandise," he muttered. "No range limits, yeah right. Remind me to pummel that cheating bastard next time we meet him."

The men in the clearing were shouting something to each other, and the woman operating the device attached to the gate seemed to be signaling them some instructions. Mitchell turned to his partner once more.

"We need to get Vala here, now, before they get the gate working and take off! Could be our only chance to get off this damn rock without weeks of repair work to the ship. And," he spared one last look towards the group of strangers in the clearing, "let's just hope they want to play nice."

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"It's ready, Colonel!" Sam yelled as she punched the last commands into her computer. "It should work when I initiate the dialing program!"

"Where's Dr. Jackson?" O'Neill demanded impatiently, looking around the clearing for the missing archaeologist. "Didn't I tell him not to play out of sight?"

"He said he'd go do his job while we do, uh, ours, Sir," one of the men answered him, quickly cowering under the colonel's dissatisfied glare. "He hasn't been gone long and the forest isn't really that thick, he won't get lost!"

"Right." O'Neill activated the radio and cleared his voice before continuing, in a falsely dulcet tone. "All passengers for flight 422 to Earth, please report to the gate immediately." He waited a few moments for a reply, then tried again, dropping the friendly tone. "Daniel! Stop with the flower-picking and get back to grandma's house!"

"The radios might not be working on a longer range because of the planet's magnetic field," Sam let him know when the radio remained stubbornly silent. "Daniel probably can't hear you."

The colonel rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll go get our straying sheep and we'll get—"

He never got to finish his sentence, as a salvo of what looked like energy bolts erupted from the tree line, sending dirt and pieces of grass flying all around them. Jack instinctively threw himself on the ground, gripping his gun.

"Take cover!" he shouted at his two men, before returning fire in the general direction of the trees. Much as he tried, he could not see their attackers, and suddenly energy blasts were pouring from two other directions. "Where the hell are they!"

"We're surrounded, Sir!" one of his men called out.

"We have to abort!"

"Not without Jackson!" the Colonel shouted back. "Carter, get that damn radio to work!" Another three salvos, and no answer. "Carter!" He crawled to the dialing device, half-relieved and half-annoyed to see her frozen behind it. "Damn it, what the hell are you doing, we're under attack!"

"Yea, I _noticed_," she rasped back from a dry throat. "I'm not exactly used to people trying to kill me!"

Jack took in her white face and her shaking hands, and shook his head.

"You're doing fine," he muttered, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. "Now get these radios working so we can get Daniel and get out of here."

The energy blasts came more often, and closer than before, and though his men returned fire, it seemed to have no attack on their attackers. They had retreated on the stone steps that led to the stargate and kept firing blindly in all three directions.

"Sir, our position's compromised!"

"We're sitting ducks, Colonel, we have to go back!"

Jack looked towards Sam with renewed urgency. Her wide-eyed, terrified expression did not reassure him.

"I can't get them to work!" she cried. "I'd need to remodulate the frequency bands on both radio devices! What are we going to do," she gripped his jacket and tried her best to put on a firm expression. "We can't leave Daniel here!"

A shot hit the dialing device, sending sparks flying all around them, and Sam covered her ears with a shudder. Another shot hit one of the stone steps, leaving a blackened mark where one of the men had rested a split-second before. Jack fired towards the trees again, then turned towards Sam with a grim expression.

"Activate the gate."

"What! You _can't_—I _won't_—Daniel—"

"We can't come back for him if we're dead, damn it!" Jack shot back. Looking at her, doe-eyed, close to tears and with a smudge of dirt covered her left cheek, he cursed himself for having agreed to take civilians on the mission in the first place. "Listen to me, Carter. I'll come back for him myself. We'll find him." She nodded weakly just as another blast buzzed right by their ears. "Get the gate working, now!"

A few seconds later the symbols started to light up. As though that had been some kind of signal, the hostile shots tripled, and it was only by some insane stroke of luck that they were still in one piece by the time the vortex sprang to life and they all but threw themselves into it.

* * *

"Finally." Vala greeted her two partners, who had already approached the stargate, and were in the process of examining the abandoned equipment. "I swear, they were having a damn _conference _here," she commented with a shake of her head. "What kind of insane people hang around for that long, under fire, in an open field?"

"Earth people," Mitchell responded dryly, turning Sam's laptop with his foot to get a look at the brand. Vala's eyes widened slightly, and she gave him an expressionless look.

"Oh." Then she seemed to get over it, and shrugged. "Lovely. So, what do we have here? How did they get the gate working?" She bent down to examine the small, black computer, tentatively pressing a few keys. Nothing happened. "Cameron?"

"Probably password-protected…but your bag of tricks can handle whatever protection this baby's got on it," he opined, and Vala smirked.

"Well…I left my 'bag of tricks' on our rather useless ship. Stay here…I'll go get it."

* * *

Daniel had stumbled onto the alien craft by accident, and he was not about to leave without a proper exploration. With a little luck, this would be the first contact humans ever had with another race. He could even write his dissertation on it!

"Hello? Uh, hello?"

The metallic doors slid open, and Daniel almost jumped back in surprise. Cautiously, he peered inside the strange vessel. It seemed deserted. With a small shrug, he stepped inside, and did his best not to cringe when the doors closed behind him. In for a penny…

"Is someone here?" he tried again, only to have his own voice echo back within the metal walls. Suddenly, a noise came from somewhere ahead, and he immediately became more alert. Slowly, he advanced towards the source of the noise, only to find himself facing a closed door. This one, however, did not slide back as he approached. But the noises continued. "I-i-is there anyone here…?" he asked excitedly, then almost choked in shock as a voice echoed faintly from the other side of the door.

"Daniel?"

He did not even realize he had sprinted towards the metal door until he was suddenly face up against it, almost willing it to bend under his palms.

"Mom—"he knocked loudly against the door, but to no avail. Slowly overcoming the shock, he shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. "God. Mom!"

He spotted some sort of control panel on a side of the door, and proceeded to desperately hit the keys on it. Her surprised gasp reached him a second later.

"How did you find me?"

Even while rapidly trying random sequences of symbols on the panel, Daniel found time to scoff in amusement.

"You wouldn't believe it, actually. Listen…I'll get you out of here."

"Daniel, I want you to leave this place!"

He did not even deign the instruction with an answer, trying instead to get the door code right faster. The strange vessel, that formerly seemed exciting and intriguing, now appeared ominous and menacing.

"Who's done this to you?" he asked Oma through the door.

"No time to explain," she hurried him. "You must go, _now_!"

"I won't leave you here!" he replied in indignation, and was about to add something else when he felt the cold nuzzle of a gun on his neck. His entire body stiffened as a stranger's voice hissed menacingly:

"What are you doing here?"

A rough hand whipped him around, knocking off his glasses in the process, and Daniel let out a half-articulate protest.

"Wha—"

What greeted him was indeed a threatening gun barrel, and a cold-eyed woman with an even more threatening expression. He took in her appearance, mouth slightly gaping in surprise, though not even he could tell whether it was her hostile stance, her eccentric choice of clothing, or the slightly mocking look in her grey eyes that surprised him.

"Who are you?" he finally managed.

"The owner of this ship," she retorted calmly, hand not wavering for a moment on the gun.

"Why are you keeping my mother here?" he demanded, anger winning over his initial shock at the many unexpected developments. "Let her out! She's done nothing to you."

"She shouldn't have trespassed," the woman replied icily. "And for that matter, neither should you. The knack for being in the wrong place must run in the family," she smirked mockingly.

Daniel stared at her in disbelief.

"But—we didn't do it on purpose! Look, if you'll just let us go, we'll get off your property, no harm done, okay?"

"I don't think so."

"At least let my mother go," he tried. "She shouldn't be here! Take—take me instead!"

He was even more indignant to see the strange woman let out a short, derisive laughter. Her shoulders still shook slightly when she fixed him with the same challenging, ironic gaze.

"Why," she smiled slyly, "would I negotiate with you, when _I_ am the one with the gun, I have you both on _my_ ship and in point of fact I am pretty much holding all the cards in this game?"

"I can help you work the stargate!" he burst out on an impulse, and knew, as he watched her mocking grin suddenly change to a calculated expression, that it had been the right thing to say. "That's right," he repeated, "I know how to activate it. And I'll do it…provided we send my mother back home first."

"Daniel, no, don't trust her!"

He did not really need Oma's warning to know that, but theirs was a desperate time…

"So? Do we have a deal?" He watched the woman carefully, but barely a muscle moved on her face. It was only her eyes that grew brighter and darker, as she seemed to ponder the question.

"You will activate the…stargate…to the address I indicate," she specified.

Daniel almost sighed in relief.

"You have my word."

The same half-derisive grin flourished on her lips.

"Done."

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Cameron Mitchell's jaw dropped when he saw Vala enter the clearing with not one, but two hassled-looking hostages at gun point. He did not need to look toward Teal'c to know what the Jaffa was thinking: all this mess was somehow Cam's fault in the first place.

Oma, the woman whose rudimentary ship had crashed near theirs a few days earlier, was endlessly pleading with the unknown man:

"No, Daniel, listen to me—I'm not the one who needs to go back—heck, they'll arrest me, anyway—"

"Why, your family is even more interesting than I gave it credit for," Vala scoffed, and nudged Oma in the shoulder with the gun, making her stumble slightly. "Stay away from the computer and let him do his job. I want the Chapa'ai activated."

As she regained her balance, Oma cast the space thief a dark glare, but decided it was more important to focus on talking Daniel out of his ridiculous plan. She looked over his shoulder at the commands he was entering into the small laptop connected to the large metal ring, and it took her best control not to wince. If whoever had been there before him had not set all the parameters, basically bringing the 'gate' (whatever it was) activation a button-push away, she doubted Daniel could have ever done it. Luckily, he was a better bluffer than he was a computer expert.

"Get out of there," Vala suddenly pushed him aside, roughly, though a hint of amusement permeated her voice. "This is all set for activation, you're just stalling."

Oma sighed. Clearly, her son was not that much of a bluffer either.

"Yeah, but it's set for the coordinates of Earth!" he challenged. So you have to let my mother go through before I reset it."

"No, Daniel—" One of the symbols on the gate lit up, and Oma felt her time was running out. "Just listen! You can't stay here with these…these bandits—"

"Now, there's hardly a need for insults," Vala mocked, as the second symbol lit up.

"Daniel, please, this is ridiculous—"

Vala shoved her none-too-gently towards the gate.

"Let go of me!" shouted Oma, but the gun in her shoulder stayed firm.

"Wait!" Daniel protested, but Vala's partners kept their own weapons trained on him.

"Daniel!!" Oma cried as the wormhole exploded into existence, and she almost forgot her desperation at the sight of the blue vortex that lay before her. The few seconds of distraction came at a price. "No—" was all she got out, before Vala unceremoniously pushed her into the gate.

"Wait!" Daniel shouted again, but it was too late.

* * *

"Great, your mother's through, now reset the coordinates," Vala ordered.

Daniel cleared his voice.

"I…can't." Immediately he found himself at the receiving end of a very menacing, narrow-eyed expression. "Seriously. Sorry, computers aren't my strong-suit." To illustrate, he hit a few random keys, somehow managing to make the screen go blank. "Oops."

Vala was thoroughly unamused.

"Tell me why I shouldn't just shoot you now."

"Because…that would kill me," Daniel offered. He had no desire to die, but the circumstances were so bad that he felt he might as well keep a light mood. "And I…might have other uses?"

"Such as?" she demanded coldly.

"I make one hell of an omelet."

Things only went downhill from there.

* * *

Back against the cold wall of the woman's ship, Daniel groaned. Grateful as he was to be still alive, he found it hard to hold on to an optimistic view of the future. He was captive to a madwoman and a gang of, from what he had gathered, some sort of...space pirates!

"—hate to be the bearer of bad news," one of her acolytes said, still keeping a gun trained on Daniel even as his gaze moved to the woman who was, presumably, their boss. "But those Earth people are gonna come back sooner or later."

"I know," she growled, her voice muffled by the ton of metal above her, "why do you think I've spent the last three hours under this damn console, trying to fix the inertial dampeners so we can take off?!"

"We cannot attempt a successful departure without resetting the self-referential positioning system," said the second accomplice, the intimidating one with the odd marking on his forehead. He, too, was keeping a cautious glare on Daniel—like there was _any_ chance of escaping, the archaeologist thought grimly.

"We also need to flush out that virus that the Lucians passed us," the first man added with an annoyed roll of his eyes. "'Shields upgrade application' my ass…I'm gonna kill that snake Inago next time I see him. Anyway," he resumed, talking to the half of Vala's body that came out from under the console, "we can't lift off with that thing driving our systems haywire…"

"I know that, too, Cameron…" She pushed herself out from beneath the station, holding a hand out for some new tool that Daniel did not recognize. "I'm hoping those computers they left behind have some sort of skeleton programming tool," she said while the other man handed her the utensil. Then she slid back under the console. "And maybe something we can use to contain or neutralize the Lucians' worm, until we're off this stupid rock and find some civilized shipyard to rob."

Daniel sighed. He had a feeling he would not be enjoying the ride.

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Uh—Vala?"

"What," she growled, clearly in an unfriendly mood.

Mitchell was undaunted. "Since our guest's gonna be with us for a while, I was thinking you might wanna offer him a more comfortable room." She glared at him. "Then again, maybe not. I'm sure that cramped, damp cell is cozy enough."

With a roll of her eyes, Vala sat up from the pilot's seat, silently handing him command. She strode off in the direction of the holding cell.

* * *

Daniel was sitting cross-legged in a corner, head resting against the metal bulkhead. He looked up when the door slid open and Vala appeared in the doorway.

"Decided to let me go at last?" he asked. She snorted derisively.

"I don't think so," she replied with a humorless smile. "However, since you're on my ship, wasting our already scarce resources, I've decided you're going to have to earn your keep."

"'Earn my keep'? I'm your _prisoner_—I don't _want_ to be on your ship, 'wasting your resources'," he pointed out with annoyance, "so if you'll just drop me off to the nearest stargate, I'm sure I can find my way from—"

"You can start by cleaning the waste tubes," Vala interrupted. "Fuel residue and space dirt clog them all the time. You'll find a pair of recyclable gloves somewhere in the—"

"What?!" Daniel stood up, looking indignant. "I'm not your house keeper! I'm not cleaning your tubes!"

"Fine—then you can _starve_," Vala growled, hands on her hips. "Either way, you won't be using up space and oxygen for nothing!"

* * *

"Can you believe the sheer nerve of the man?" Vala was pacing the small command deck of her Alkesh, her entire demeanor betraying irritation. "I try to be nice, and this is what I get! It's not enough that he and his criminal of a mother break onto _my_ ship! I'm even kind enough to _release_ her, he cheats me out of the Chapa'ai codes and now this! Well he can just rot in that cell for all I'm concerned!"

Her two companions exchanged a silent glance. Vala was more steamed than usual.

"We did kidnap him—" Cam pointed out. Teal'c gave him a pitying look, as if to say, 'you-should-know-better'.

"_Kidnap_ him? He trespassed by his own accord," she huffed. "And I should have shot him on sight! Now I'm stuck with him, the utterly useless, whining, arrogant Tau'ri who thinks my ship is not good enough for him to clean!"

"Look, you two obviously got off on the wrong start," Mitchell said placatingly. "I'm sure if you just went in there and explained how a small boat like ours can't keep runnin' with too many passengers and not enough maintenance…and maybe try not to threaten to kill him until you're done explainin'," he added as an afterthought, "I'm sure he'd come around."

"Let him _starve_," Vala snarled, and, turning her back on them, stalked off to the far end of the ship, disappearing behind the thin curtain that separated her quarters from the rest of the Alkesh.

* * *

He finally figured out the madwoman meant what she had said, when no one brought even the measly protein bars they gave him a few times a day.

"I'd agree to the terms, pal."

Daniel looked up, startled to notice the door to the holding cell had slid open, and now Cameron Mitchell (he had found out their names over the past two days) stood a few feet from him.

"It's not so bad, once you get used to it," the man was saying. "Beats being stuck with a dead-end job on a surface-bound planet like Earth."

"You're from Earth," Daniel said boldly. The curiosity had been eating at him ever since he had heard the man's name. There could not have been many planets out there to come up with 'Cameron Mitchell'. "How come you're…you know—with _her_?" He nodded toward the door, lowering his voice as he referred to Vala with a wary expression on his face.

"Long story," replied Mitchell, obviously not in the mood to go into it. He took a step back toward the door. "Better start doin' what she says," he repeated to Daniel. "Make yourself useful…your life on this ship will be a lot easier, trust me."

"I don't _want_ an easier life on this ship!" the archaeologist shot back. "I don't want _any_ life on this ship! I want to go home!"

After digging in his pocket for a second, Mitchell threw him a round, soft fruit vaguely resembling a peach. "Until you get to do that, play nice," he advised. "Be our guest. Who knows, maybe you'll learn a thing or two about space-business and decide Earth's too damn boring to go back to."

"Is that what you decided?" Daniel asked sulkily.

Cameron laughed. "Me? No. I knew exactly how boring it was when I left."

* * *

Daniel capitulated a few hours later. He banged on the cell door, hoping someone would come and hear his decision. He was kind of hoping it would be Mitchell, but, as luck would have it, it was the silent, perpetually-frowning Teal'c. The space bandit opened the door with a warning visage.

"Eh…hi," Daniel swallowed a little uneasily. "Is that housekeeper job still open?"

Teal'c arched an eyebrow.

Stepping out onto the main section of the ship for the first time, Daniel was surprised to find it deserted. After checking around just to make sure he wasn't missing some hidden room somewhere, he turned to Teal'c.

"Uh—where is everyone?"

"We have stopped for supplies, and further repairs," Teal'c informed him. "You, however, do not need to wait to begin your duties. The recyclable gloves are behind—"

"What are you?" Daniel found himself asking out of the blue. He looked a little ashamed. "I mean…you're not human, right?" He pointed to the golden emblem on Teal'c's forehead. "What's that?"

"This is a sign of my servitude to the Goa'uld System Lord Apophis," Teal'c replied matter-of-factly.

Daniel looked confused. "I thought you worked for Vala."

"I do. I have betrayed my former master and attempted to expose him as a false god." His eyebrows drew lower in an even deeper frown than usual. "Unfortunately, most of my people still believe in the Goa'uld. The Jaffa are not a free race."

"Oh…" Daniel was unsure of what to say, so he just donned a sympathetic expression. The conversation was cut short when Vala entered the ship, a black, heavy-looking satchel in her arms. Her expression soured when she spotted the archaeologist.

"He has acquiesced to contribute his share of duties on the duration of his stay," Teal'c provided, before she could say anything.

Vala huffed, marching past Daniel without so much as a second glance. When he remained rooted on the spot, a little confused as to what he was supposed to do, she shouted over her shoulder:

"Move it, we don't have all day! Incompetent Tau'ri…" she muttered under her breath, but loud enough for him to hear, anyway. "That's the engine section," she pointed toward a small room on the right, "cargo room," a closed door further down on the left, "and command deck's behind you, I assume you saw the navigational consoles for yourself…that's _off_ limits," she snapped when he curiously headed for a small alcove, shielded by a light curtain. "Stay out of my things, or I'll unclog the waste tubes myself and blow you out of one of them."

She led him to the back section of the ship, where he saw a few uncomfortable-looking bunks. Vala stood on tiptoes to retrieve a pair of dark-brown, odd looking gloves from the top of a built-in closet. She threw them on top of the nearest bunk.

"That's yours," she declared. "Now get to work. Oh, and—"she dumped the heavy satchel in his arms, "—since you prided yourself on your cooking skills…make that into something edible. I'm tired of protein bars."

"Great…welcome aboard…" Daniel murmured to himself once she had headed back for the command section. He peered inside the satchel, spotting a few dubious-looking dry vegetables. He chose not to tell her that, as a doctoral student, he had subsisted the past five years on coffee and leftovers.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

_It took him less than two days to get in trouble. _

_All in the name of scientific exploration. _

_After having agreed to do some "chores around the house," as the mysterious, Earth-born Cameron Mitchell had called it, Daniel found that no one was paying him much attention at all. And why would they? On a ship, in the void, there was really no place he could run—right?_

_Wrong. _

The bandit woman still treated him like dirt. She had made him clean out parts of the ship Daniel wished he had never seen, let alone smelled up close. She had criticized his carefully prepared salad, and threatened to shoot him about ten times. It never stopped sounding like she meant it.

On top of that, he had yet to see most of the ship he was on. One of the three always watched him, admonishing if he took as much as a step in the wrong direction.

"It's not like I have anywhere to run," he pointed out to Teal'c once, when the Jaffa had warned him for the third time not to go out of their sight. "I thought I was your 'guest'. I guess you don't entertain much company, do you?"

"No," Teal'c replied, sparing him the shortest glance before returning his attention to the displays he was monitoring. "This is a most…unusual arrangement."

"Well…it's unusual for me, too. It's kind of my first time on a pirate ship."

The Jaffa looked at him again. "Pirate ship? Who said this vessel serves such purpose?" His glare settled on Mitchell, in the pilot's seat. "Perhaps you should refrain from circulating erroneous information."

"I, uh, figured it out for myself," Daniel said, before the two started a row. "Anyway…I haven't really had a chance to look around. Get a feel of this…ship…we're on."

"Not much to look at, pal." Mitchell waved a hand toward the doors on the opposite side of the command deck. "This, couple of rooms, bunks and that's about it."

"What about the cargo room? What's our cargo?"

Mitchell and Teal'c exchanged a short glance.

"That section of the ship is off-limits," Teal'c warned. "I would suggest staying out of the engine room, as well." He looked at Cameron again. "Since it was you who first suggested he be allowed out of the holding cell, you can make certain he does not tamper with any of the technology he does not understand."

"Aw heck no, I've got a ship to fly, don't have time for babysitting!"

"I don't need babysitting!" Daniel retorted indignantly. "Why exactly do you insist on keeping me here, if I'm such a huge extra problem to deal with?"

"Because I'm hoping I'll be able to auction you off as cheap labor, to make up for the bother you and your dear mother have caused me." Having just emerged from the engine room, a smudge of soot on her cheek, Vala walked up to the command deck and gave him a sarcastic smile. "Now, don't look so upset, darling. If you keep that big mouth shut, you should end up fairly well. I know a lot of ladies who would vie over the pleasure of your…company."

* * *

_And so it went on and on. Finally, after two days of aimless wandering through space__, they had had to make a rather hasty landing on a small moon. And it was then that things had really gone downhill. _

In the pilot's seat, her hands around the spherical navigation tool as she steered the vessel to land, Vala seemed half-angry and half-exhilarated.

"Think they spotted us?" Mitchell asked from the seat next to hers.

"Of course not—I've got a perfectly good shield in place, and we never got close enough for them to pick up any signals."

"Who's 'they'?" Daniel wanted to know. The three all ignored him.

"Any idea whose mother-ship it was?"

"Probably Cronus, this is his territory. Or maybe Anubis, he's been fighting Cronus for the border regions…" Vala looked over her shoulder to Teal'c, and ship jolted a little. "Or Apophis. _He's_ everywhere these days."

The Jaffa nodded, gravely. Daniel was becoming ever more confused. "Wait…didn't you say Apophis was your former employer?"

Again, no answer.

"Ya sure you can make that landing?" Mitchell sounded worried, when the ship shook again. "Maybe you should let me take the wheel. That's nasty weather down there."

Vala nodded, clearing the pilot's seat. Cam slipped into it.

"It's not the weather," she said, opening a small panel right underneath the spherical navigation tool, "it's the inertial dampeners."

"I thought you fixed them!"

"Didn't find a cooling system to replace ours." She pulled out a thin, transparent plate that held various crystals. Picking one, she removed it from the assembly. "Try now."

"What's that?" Daniel asked, taking a step closer.

She turned a deadly glare on him. "Shut up and stay out of my way."

He was about to protest, but she had already diverted her attention. "Muscles—go disable the rings, we don't want any surprise guests."

"Rings?" Daniel grew more and more curious. Unfortunately, none of the three other occupants of the ship paid him any heed. He watched Teal'c walk into what Vala had presented as the "cargo room" a few days earlier, while Mitchell kept both hands on the glowing hemisphere, and the woman tinkered with some of the oddly-shaped crystals. He gave her a resentful glare. Since she seemed so utterly unwilling to share any information with him, Daniel made a mental note to do some exploring of his own, the first chance he got.

* * *

The first chance came but a few hours later, when they had finally landed the ship, not without a good deal of bumping and jerking. The small moon they now rested on was, Daniel had gathered, a sort of commercial hub for that part of the galaxy. And much to his relief, the ever-menacing Vala had gone out to procure spare parts and information. Teal'c had accompanied her.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he watched Mitchell, who had stayed behind on the ship to monitor the surroundings (and, Daniel imagined, to baby-sit him.)

"Is she really planning to 'auction me off'? Sell me to the highest bidder? Is that even _legal _anywhere?"

"She ain't gonna do that," the other man replied, half his attention on the blinking monitors.

"Because she _likes_ me so much?" Daniel was surprised at his own sarcasm.

"Yea, she's taken a bit of a shine to you."

The archaeologist snorted incredulously. He briefly considered making a break for it, but he was unarmed, untrained, and completely ignorant of their surroundings. Instead, he absently picked up one of the crystals that Vala had left lying on the floor, next to the large, rectangular plate. He idly wondered what they were for.

"So what's she hiding in the cargo room?"

Cameron cast a brief glance over his shoulder, and Daniel quickly hid the crystal behind his back, to avoid further lectures. "Hiding? Vala isn't hiding anything in there."

"What about those rings?"

"Don't go messing with'em," Mitchell warned. "Gonna land yourself in a worse spot than you're in—aw, hell!" He shot up from the seat, reaching for the communication device on the console. "Teal'c. Vala?"

Daniel got up from the floor, too. "What is it?"

Mitchell ignored him, hitting the communication button again. "Vala! Can you hear me?" He listened for a second, then swore under his breath. "Damn if I'm not gonna wring Caius's neck."

He checked the monitors again. Peering over his shoulder, Daniel could not make out much from the glyphs on the screen. They vaguely resembled ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, only more stylized and with a seemingly different sentence composition.

"What's going on?" he asked the obviously unsettled Mitchell.

"Death Gliders. Five of them, surveying the area."

"Are they looking for us?"

"Probably not," Cameron replied. "They can't see us, the ship's cloaked…but I don't want to take any chances." He checked his weapon and grabbed the communication device, then turned to Daniel. "Listen, pal. I'm going to get within range of this damn thing," he held up the device, "so I can tell Vala and Teal'c to get back to the ship. Now…do I need to lock you in that cell?"

"No…?" Daniel replied, looking a little surprised at the sudden turn of events.

Mitchell nodded. "Great. Stay put, don't touch anything and don't open the door to strangers." He hit a few buttons on the console, then headed for the door. "And if you feel like taking a stroll outside," he warned, "I'd think twice. Vala's a regular Betty Boop compared to most of this friendly neighborhood."

_Daniel had thought Mitchell was lying._

_He had been wrong._

* * *

Hardly had the doors slid shut behind Mitchell, that Daniel was on his feet, ready to follow. He would have rather taken his chances with the inhabitants of the small moon, than stayed on that madwoman's ship for another second. Before he reached the door, however, another thought occurred to him.

Before he knew it, he was standing before the small alcove where Vala slept.

A slight doubt held him back. He may have been inquisitive by nature, but some rocks, as his mother had wisely put it once, were better left unturned. The alien woman had been _extremely_ clear that he was not to enter her private space. Her dry, icy threats rang in his ears.

His hand reached for the light, cream-colored curtain. Curiosity mixed with urgency drove him on. He pulled back the curtain, and took a step forward.

It was warmer than he had expected. The space was small, and sparsely furnished; a bed on the far side, a round metal table serving for nightstand, and an old-looking chest in the corner. A scandalous black-leather outfit hung over the chest. The narrow floor was covered by a soft brown carpet.

A second step was enough to cover half the distance to the back wall. Cautiously, he glanced left and right.

The dog-eared, faded picture of an ocean-side landscape was the sole decoration on the austere metal walls. An old commercial poster, by the looks of it. Or perhaps a canvas pilfered from some alien art gallery, Daniel amended, noticing what looked suspiciously like a registration bar code at the bottom. It looked like the bandit woman stole more than spare pieces for her ship.

Turning around, the archaeologist scoffed as he spotted, sitting by a leather-bound booklet on the nightstand, a short, curved dagger. A thoroughly unsurprising decoration for the space pirate's lair. Next to it, however, a tiny red flower sat atop some gleaming trinket. The bloom had long ago wilted, but it had been carefully preserved, its delicate petals pressed together, thin golden vines barely visible across their surface. He picked it up cautiously, so as to not cause it to break apart in his hands. It was light as air, and held a faint fragrance.

The object underneath it turned out to be a small hand-mirror. Its surface was spotted and poorly kept, with scratches and smudges obscuring the reflected image. Instinctively, Daniel blew on it, cleaning it against the edge of his sleeve. As he replaced it on the nightstand, he noticed there was no other mirror in the small alcove. That struck him as odd. He would have pegged Vala as the vain type.

"Get out."

The barely contained, menacing hiss froze him in his spot.

His back to her still, he winced. "Oh boy." That could not be g—

"I said, get _out_!" Hands grabbed him roughly by the arm, her nails digging right through his jacket into his skin, as she shoved him with surprising force.

"Whoa, hey, wait a second—" Daniel lost his footing against her angry manhandling, knocking down the small book as he grabbed the nightstand for support. It clattered to the floor with a dull thud. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Didn't mean to—_what_?" she growled between clenched teeth. "Get caught? What were you looking for?" Grabbing the collar of his jacket, she pushed him against the wall, her eyes dead cold, radiating resentment. "You have no _right_ to be here! I asked you never to come in here!"

"I meant no harm!" he defended, quickly slipping past her; in a fit of rage, Vala backhanded him so fiercely it actually knocked him backward. The sting and shock of the blow morphed his chagrin into anger of his own. "Stop that!"

He grabbed her wrist, but another furious outburst gave her enough strength to drive him back again. "Out!" she kept shouting, pushing him right through the light separating curtain and into the main section of the ship.

Before he knew what he was doing, Daniel found himself ducking, and right on time, too, for the by-now-familiar flash of an energy blast flew right above his head. The madwoman was _firing_ at him! He scrambled to his feet, rushing into the first available room.

She really was insane, there was no other explanation for it. He could hear her rapid steps in the corridor outside, and hurried to hit all the keys on the control panel in the hope of managing to lock the door between them. The door however, refused to slide shut! After hitting the mysterious glyphs a few more times, Daniel retreated to the middle of the room in a panic, just as Vala appeared in the doorway, disheveled and fuming.

He barely had time to observe, with some relief, that her weapon seemed to have returned to its holster, before the air around him suddenly lit up, and the room disappeared in a flash of white light.

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who is still following this! It's been a while, as life has a tendency of getting in the way of writing --and more so in the way of posting!-- but hopefully I will be updating more frequently now that summer is here. We all know summer is when all students come out to play.**

**I am so insanely grateful to all of you who reviewed my last chapter. It was your reviews who made me take up the electronic pen again and write some more. **

**Chapter 11  
**

"That ain't so Sunday mass out there, that's for sure." Cam hurried in through the open hatch, turning on his heels just to make sure no one but Teal'c had followed him to the ship. The meadow looked clear, and he felt secure enough to lower his weapon as he closed the hatch."Alright, time to make our swift and silent exit."

Near the pilot's console, Vala's greeted him with a dark, cloudy visage.

"Oh, boy. What's wrong?" He could virtually see her fuming, but she said nothing, slamming a command into the console with enough force to make the entire thing shake. Cam looked around, a grim suspicion arising. "Where's Toto?"

Vala growled. "He's gone."

"Gone?" Mitchell arched both eyebrows, looking around the ship again, as if to make sure. "What do you mean, g—"

"I mean, he's _gone_, Cameron, left, departed, off the ship and out of my hair!"

He exchanged a quick glance with Teal'c. The Jaffa ever so slightly shook his head—an unnecessary warning not to pursue the issue further. Cam let out a sigh between his teeth.

"Alright then people, let's move off this rock before those Death Gliders drop in for tea time."

* * *

Daniel had exactly ten seconds to look around him in awe, barely aware of having been instantaneously transported between two locations. Then, a bulky silhouette loomed above him, and a strong blow landed on his back, accompanied by a loud clunk of metal. A voice yelled something in a language he could barely make out. More clanks resounded in the room, and then it went quiet.

On his knees, he looked up to see four huge armored figures stare down at him. As one, their visors slid back and their snake-shaped helms retracted, revealing four equally threatening faces. Daniel suddenly wished he had taken his chances with Vala.

* * *

The hot light blinded him once more and the searing pain tore inside his skull. Every nerve fiber in his body, every synapse in his brain was on fire and he couldn't even scream to infinitesimally relieve the pain. Then suddenly, the scorching light and the fire died out, leaving behind a dull, agonizing ache.

"You will tell me what I want to know, Tau'ri!"

The indignant holler boomed in his ears, reverberating mercilessly inside his throbbing skull. He could see white sparks spinning chaotically behind his closed eyelids; the sight was not much better when he opened his eyes. Towering above him, face all screwed up in anger, was the Goa'uld 'god' Apophis, his cold eyes glowing menacingly.

"I will conquer your planet once more," Apophis growled. "But first, you will tell me how the primitive Tau'ri ended up on spaceships! What is your technology now? How did you get so far when you were mere children just a hundred years ago!"

Daniel coughed, trying to ignore the pain that pulsed in his temples. He distantly wished he had never run from the bandit woman in the first place…at least she would have shot him quickly.

"The defensive systems of your planet, Tau'ri!" boomed Apophis. "And you will get to stand by my side and watch as I march to victory on your people!"

"I don't think so…" the archaeologist rasped, warily eyeing the ribbon device that had made his head feel as though a herd of wild ox was stampeding inside it.

"You dare defy your god!" the Goa'uld's eyes glinted dangerously.

If his eyes hadn't hurt so badly, Daniel would have liked to roll them mockingly; he must have heard the phrase at least forty times since the mysterious teleportation incident that had shortly led to his capture. Apparently, Apophis never got tired of it. Nor did he get tired of torturing him for information about Earth. Hence, when the Goa'uld shouted one last threat and stormed angrily out of the prison cell with the promise to return shortly, Daniel felt almost lucky to be left alone with his bruised forehead and throbbing brain.

The feeling evaporated two minutes later, when the doors opened to reveal a burly Jaffa wearing an expression of cruel anticipation. Daniel sighed and thought of Teal'c; he knew now what Vala's henchman used to do before joining her crew. Too bad the knowledge had come at such a high price…belatedly, Daniel wished he had never been curious about Teal'c, Vala or the Goa'uld in the first place.

"Guard the door," the Jaffa ordered two other men in snake-like armor. "I will get the knowledge out of him for our god Apophis."

The doors slid shut behind him, and he grinned menacingly, revealing a set of sharp, yellowing teeth. Daniel swallowed hard.

"Eh, really, I'd rather wait for your god Apophis…" he tried. "He promised he'd be back any minute. Wouldn't want you to—"

"Silence!" the Jaffa rumbled, lifting a short metal rod to eye level. "You dare stand up to Apophis—"

"Here we go again…" Daniel muttered under his breath.

"—I will make sure you pay for your insolence!" He slapped his palm with the metal rod, whose tip was now glowing reddish. "You will tell me all about your planet, Tau'ri, if you wish for a quick death."

The glowing tip hit Daniel's ribcage, sending a hot electric shock through his body, and the archaeologist cried out in frustrated pain. What was it with him and hot electric pokers lately?

"The codes of the Tau'ri Chapa'ai!" the Jaffa roared. As the prisoner offered no reply, he gripped the weapon tighter, ready for another hit, when the sound of the doors sliding open caught his attention.

"How about you pick on someone your own size?"

He had only half-turned to the mocking voice behind him when the pulse of a gun caught him in the back on the head, swiftly knocking him out.

Stepping over the body of the unconscious Jaffa, Vala deftly worked the cuffs holding Daniel, carefully keeping her eyes away from his scorched and bruised face and ignoring him as much as possible, under the circumstances. Unfortunately, he did not show the same courtesy.

"I'd have thought you'd be light years away by now," he deadpanned, wincing as he rubbed his sore wrists. A muffled growl was her only reply, and he pushed on. "Nice to see I was wrong and that you finally grew a conscience—"

"You took the fifth crystal from the command console, you dimwit!" she huffed angrily. "My ship is dead in space because of you!"

Taken by surprise, Daniel watched her silently as her words sunk in. He distantly remembered picking up a crystal before Mitchell had stormed off to warn his shipmates about the Goa'uld mother ship. He had slipped the crystal into his jacket pocket to avoid being scolded for playing with it. Who knew it would end up saving his life?

His face broke into an irony-filled smile, and he shrugged. "Well, _that_ doesn't leave a lot of room for gratitude, but I'm definitely congratulating myself for picking up that crystal."

"You better still have it," she muttered as she stripped the fallen Jaffa of his weapons, "or I'll leave you here to entertain Apophis."

"I think I've entertained him enough," Daniel winced as he stood up and the world tilted menacingly around him. He felt her grab his left arm and push him upright, steadying him as she passed a hand around his waist. "Thanks." Maybe she did have a conscience, after all.

"I can't believe you were stupid enough to keep it on you! What if they'd taken it away?"

Her hand, having found its prize, slid out of his pocket and off his waist, depriving Daniel of its support. Luckily, he was now able to stand unassisted, and even managed a glare in Vala's direction.

"Can we at least pretend this is a selfless rescue mission for a moment?"

"I'm a businesswoman, not a rescue hero," she retorted, grunting as she struggled to move the body of the Jaffa. "A little help here, Tau'ri! I'll get the armor off this one, you get the other two outside in here, so no one sees them. And hurry, before Apophis starts missing you and decides to pay another visit."

* * *

While fascinating to behold from the outside, the heavy snake armor was every bit as uncomfortable as it looked and a true nightmare from the inside. Sweaty, hot and tired, he could barely move in it and the throbbing in his skull felt worse than ever.

"Stop groaning, they'll realize something's wrong if they _hear_ you," Vala hissed. "Take right on the next corridor, and tighten your grip on me!" she further instructed under her breath. "You're a Jaffa leading a prisoner, not a lady pushing her baby carriage!"

She heard Daniel's angry murmur, and felt his hands grip her arm more forcefully as he none-too-gently pushed her forward. They had successfully passed a couple of Jaffa on the corridors, and none had seen anything suspicious, but Vala did not rest assured. A lone Jaffa strolling on the ship was undeniably odd. Even if the armor was that of a troop leader, Daniel was bound to draw unwanted attention sooner or later.

"The ring room is at the end of this corridor," she whispered, thinking they might actually make it.

"Hold!" Two Jaffa turned the corner from one of the adjoining hallways, stopping in front of them with vaguely suspicious expressions. "Who is this?"

Daniel mentally thanked Teal'c for the inadvertent lessons in Jaffa behavior.

"Prisoner," he grunted, hoping the closed metal armor made voices hard enough to discern. "Taking her to the ring room as disposed by our god Apophis!"

He moved to pass by them, but one of the Jaffa put a hand on Vala's shoulder, studying her more closely.

"I haven't seen this one before," he declared.

"Maybe our lord Apophis does not account to you for every prisoner," Daniel retorted. "Now move to your duties," he ordered them in a forceful voice, as Vala had told him to do.

The other Jaffa seemed ready to comply, but the one who had stopped Vala still hesitated.

"You sound strange," he frowned.

Daniel had just opened his mouth to respond, when the oddest thing happened. Vala twisted in his grasp, taking him completely by surprise, and aimed a swift kick at his torso, her leg hitting the armor with a loud _clang_. It threw him slightly off balance, but he imagined she had taken the brunt of the impact, as the metal armor seemed very tough.

It took the two Jaffa a few seconds to react to Vala's sudden assault, and she used the time to bolt down the corridor towards the ring room. Their suspicions towards Daniel now entirely forgotten, the two guards fell into attack stance, aiming their staffs at her and firing freely. Luckily, none of the shots made their target. As soon as Vala slipped into the ring room unharmed, the two took off after her; Daniel followed shortly behind, begrudgingly admiring her quick thinking.

Inside the ring room, Vala fought the urge to fry the door commands and lock herself in, and instead took a defense position on the left side of the door. Unfortunately for her, there was not much room to hide, so a confrontation with the two Jaffa was inevitable. To fit his disguise, she had given Daniel the staff, but she knew her Zat could be effective if aimed well. As the first Jaffa burst in, she quickly discharged the weapon before he could scan the room for her, and saw his body drop to the ground with a satisfying _thud_.

The second time around, she was not so lucky. She barely dodged the staff shot that the second Jaffa sent at her, and felt one of her shoulders dislocate as she hit the floor and rolled swiftly out of harm's way.

"Fire!" she shouted towards Daniel as the Jaffa fired at her again. There was only that much room to avoid his shots in the small space. "Daniel!" she cried out in exasperation, as a staff blast hit the wall and pile of debris rained down on her. "Do it!"

But he wouldn't, and she could tell he wouldn't fire. Daniel had never killed anyone in his life, and was shocked at the prospect of taking a life. Maybe if he could have seen things objectively, he would have realized it was either him of the Jaffa. But at that moment, there was only him, holding a deadly weapon, and another man standing with his back to him. The man he was supposed to _kill_. Vala's desperate cries to fire did not even reach Daniel; he could simply not process her instructions.

Unfortunately, the Jaffa could process them quite well, and her words only confirmed his suspicions. Swivelling on his heels, he aimed the staff at the wide-eyed Daniel.

"Traitor!"

A staff blast caught him in the side before he could fire. Dishevelled and furious, Vala dropped the first Jaffa's staff, wincing as her dislocated shoulder protested.

"What did you think you were doing! You could have gotten yourself killed! You could have gotten _me_ killed!"

"I'm a scholar, not a killer," he retorted angrily, although much of that anger was directed not at her, but at himself.

They stared at each other for a long moment, until Vala broke it off and headed for the ring command.

"There are probably other Jaffa on the way," she said as she keyed in the coordinates of her ship and set the rings to activate in thirty seconds. "Get their weapons and let's hurry."

He refrained from commenting on her scavenging habits, and instead voiced another thought.

"What about the crystal? Won't they get us anyway if we can't fly the ship?"

She was about to reply when a movement caught the corner of her eye. Instinctively, she launched herself at him, throwing them both to the floor and onto the ring platform just as a staff blast hit the wall behind them. Head ringing from the impact and a searing pain in her right side, Vala got to see the second Jaffa, wounded but not dead, moving painfully to angle another shot. Then the rings descended down on her and Daniel and everything went white.

* * *

He was not sure what had happened. One second, he was asking her about the crystal, and the next, he was on the floor, hot bits of metal raining down on him as the rings activated. Then, a sorely familiar sight greeted his eyes as they materialized back on Vala's ship. Daniel would never admit it, but he was actually relieved to see the discoloured walls and hear the noise from the rusty air generators.

As the last metal pieces accidentally caught in the transport fell to the floor, he pushed himself to a sitting position, turning to Vala with the triumphant expression of one who had just dodged death. But his triumph turned to dismay as he set eyes on her.

"Oh, God," he gasped; he felt Mitchell's arms grabbing him roughly and shoving him aside as the man kneeled next to Vala.

"What the hell happened?" Cam demanded as he carefully turned her on her back, mindful of the nasty gash in her right side. "Staff blast," he muttered to himself, ripping the bloody jacket to get a closer look. "But it's not too bad, it barely caught her."

"Not_ too bad_?" Daniel repeated incredulously, unable to take his eyes off the scorched, bloody wound.

"She'll live. Come on, help me get her to a bed."

Her lips, pressed together in a pained frown, drew an almost colorless line on her pale face, and she gasped in protest when they moved her. She finally opened her eyes to find herself on her bed, Daniel dabbing at the wound with a moist cloth that nastily stung her sore flesh.

"What _is_ that," she groaned unhappily, "engine tube acid?"

"Antiseptic," Daniel replied. "Luckily, there was some in my backpack, since you're short on med supplies…"

"Mmpf," she huffed, "I'll remember to rob the next hospital I come across."

"Well, _that_ sounds like you're feeling better." Sitting behind Daniel, Mitchell gave her an encouraging grin, then his expression grew earnest. "You alright?" Vala gave a short nod. "So what happened back there?"

"Jaffa got lucky," she replied without a single glance at Daniel. "_Ow_! Look, are you sure he's using this 'antiseptic' right?"

"_He_ is right here," Daniel replied crossly, "and I know how to use my own med kit!"

"Couldn't blame him if he's distracted…" Vala continued, ignoring his comment, "I'm sure Daniel's been waiting for a long time to get me alone in bed."

"Doesn't _anything_ make you be serious?" he muttered angrily.

"Come now, Daniel, don't be bashful—_ow_! That stuff _hurts_!"

"If you'd stand _still_, it wouldn't hurt as much!"

"Well if you hadn't gone and gotten yourself caught by Apophis, this wouldn't have happened!"

"If you hadn't tried to shoot my head off, I wouldn't have gone anywhere!"

Vala opened her mouth ready to reply, grimaced as he dabbed the antiseptic to her wound again, and glowered at him. "You have the bedside manners of a butcher."

Color finally returning to her face, she gave him a murderous glare as she tried to swat his hand away. The strain sent a wave of hurt through her dislocated shoulder and she hissed painfully.

"What's wrong?" Daniel studied her carefully, noticing the way she unconsciously cradled her left arm. "Is it broken?"

It took a lot of coaxing and frowning and the threat of further barbaric Tau'ri medicine to get her to let him place the shoulder back in its socket. As the joint snapped back into place under his fingers, he heard her painful gasp and saw her blanch again, then relax against the bed frame with an almost inaudible sigh.

"Vala…?" he called a few seconds later.

"What?"

He was irrationally relieved to hear the unfriendly mutter.

"Nothing, you just…you weren't saying anything, so…"

Her eyes opened just a crack, enough to give him a disbelieving glare.

"You want _conversation _now?"

He sighed in his turn, and rolled his eyes.

"Never mind," he gave up, continuing to apply the antiseptic to her wound.

"No peeking," she warned as her eyes closed again.

"Couldn't if I wanted to."

"You're a strange man, Daniel Jackson."

"Look who's talking…"

"And you haven't brought me _any_ profit."

"I'm such a bad business, you might as well let me go…" Daniel replied with a hint of humor, feeling her body slowly unwind as he prepared to dress up the staff injury.

"Your damn thing still stings…" she murmured petulantly after a short silence.

"I'm sorry."

He stopped for a moment, watching her chest slowly rise and fall. Almost involuntarily, he brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, smirking as she instinctively muttered another sleepy protest.

"By the way…thank you," he said softly, "for saving my life. Even though it was just to get the crystal back."

He had thought she had fallen asleep, but she managed a drowsy sort of huff in reply. "You're welcome." Eyes still closed, she snuggled deeper into her pillow. "Don't get used to it."

Mitchell silently watched the scene from the doorway, his eyebrows arched in a half-surprised, half-amused expression. Seeing Teal'c in front of Vala's cabin, he noiselessly moved aside to offer the Jaffa a better view of what was happening inside. If he had needed any more confirmation that _something_ was going on, he would have gotten it when Teal'c quirked an eyebrow with his usual unreadable expression.

* * *

**A/N: Feedback is much appreciated, as always. **

**~SC  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I am not giving up on this story. I took your suggestions to heart and used some of my summer to write - so more to come soon, I hope! Meanwhile, here is the next chapter. And thanks so much to everyone who's still reading, you guys are amazing. Your feedback is invaluable. **

**Chapter 12**

"_Kel'sha_, my lord."

The ball of steel glistened, suspended inside the metal ring. A youthful face reflected on its surface. Tan skin, and glowing, heavily lined eyes. The face of a god.

"I do not usually respond to summons by those I rule, Apophis. You better make it worth my while."

The serpent god nodded. "It is the Tau'ri."

The eyes flashed angrily, but the royal face maintained a stony calm. "I'm listening."

"My lord Ra…I caught one of them on my ship."

"Impossible!"

Apophis nodded to the two Jaffa beside him, sending them out of the room. Once they had left, he turned back to the long-range communication device.

"He came through the transport rings, brother. He was a Tau'ri, he told me so himself."

"He was lying," Ra snarled. "You let yourself fooled too easily, _brother_."

Apophis scowled as he remembered the impudent human staring him straight in the face, speaking the words. _I…uh…come in peace. I'm just an explorer—from Earth! Or, uhm, I guess you may know us as the, eh…Tau'ri_. He had not been lying. The only fool here was Ra. And a fool did not deserve to rule the System Lords.

"I saw the truth in his eyes. I questioned him myself. He was a Tau'ri…and he was here, on my ship."

"Bring him before me," Ra ordered. "I will hear the truth for myself!"

Apophis lowered his eyes.

"Well? Do you not heed your emperor's wishes, Apophis?" The Goa'uld's voice was both mocking and menacing.

"He escaped," the serpent god admitted. "Aided by others. Perhaps other Tau'ri."

"_Ha'shak_! You let him escape!" Ra was irate, his face growing darker as he glared at his brother. "What treachery is this, Apophis? You speak of the Tau'ri, without evidence! _Mai'tac_! I shall not hear of this!"

"My lord Ra – he was here! That means the Tau'ri have reached an advanced level of technology!" Apophis took a step forward, his voice urgent as he pleaded his case. "We must strike them now, before they grow stronger!"

"You would have me commit my armies to a faraway planet," Ra sneered, "chasing the ghost of a civilization long dead! And in the meantime, what, little brother? You would be king?" He laughed derisively. "I am not a fool. I will do no such thing."

Apophis bowed his head. "I ask for no such thing, brother. I would march my own armies against the Tau'ri. All I need is your permission, of course, as supreme ruler of the System Lords." He looked up again. "That, and the assurance that no other shall attack me after my fight with the Tau'ri, when my armies have perished securing the planet for you."

Ra stared at him in silent meditation. His brother had been growing too strong. Too restless. Having Apophis leave on such quest would remove a potential threat. And if the Tau'ri truly had become advanced enough, they had to be destroyed. The mighty armies of Apophis would surely succeed—and perhaps be decimated in the aftermath. Ra would issue an order against attacking him, of course…but Niirti was known to disobey him on occasion.

And he would, of course, have to punish her in retaliation. Two threats, neutralized. The Tau'ri, conquered. And his reign at its strongest point.

He smiled. "_Kel'sha_, Apophis. You have my support…brother."

* * *

The old piece of parchment rolled across the floor as the ship lurched to a side, but Daniel caught it before it got out of reach. He rolled it open and picked up the pencil again. "Whoa—this looks like Ancient Egyptian. _Ankh_…_khet_…_nebet_…_was_…" Sounding increasingly excited, he followed the symbols with the tip of the pencil, careful not to touch the paper. "It tells the story of how a powerful lord gave life to his people…then the enemies attacked, but he brought fire upon them until they were destroyed! This is incredible – by the way the symbols are drawn, they must be from the Early Dynastic period! That's _five thousand_ years ago! This kind of discovery could–"

"Don't care." Vala cut him off, a note of amusement in her voice. "How much?"

"Oh, right. Uhm…" he sounded a little disappointed, but didn't argue. "Well…I guess no one would really care about the rise of an Earth pharaoh millennia ago…" He sighed. "Guess this goes into the 'worthless' pile." He looked toward a small pile to his right, containing a broken engine coil and a fake gem. After a moment of hesitation, he put the scroll aside in a different place. If Vala couldn't sell it, then he could probably keep it.

"Alright…let's see…" he reached into the bag she had given him, and pulled out a large bronze amulet. "These were believed to have healing powers by some peoples of Mesopotamia, as well as various tribes in the eastern—"

Sitting in the chair next to the pilot's console, Cam leaned toward Vala. "He's been surprisingly helpful considering we kidnapped him, don't you think?"

She huffed, not bothering to reply.

"The rumor mill goes that Earth has become the newest target for Apophis and another couple of system lords," Mitchell continued.

Vala maintained her silence, stubbornly punching in commands and blatantly ignoring him.

"Must've been our little run-in with Apohis that turned all the flashy eyes in the direction of the Tau'ri."

She finally gave him a warning glare. "A wonderful opportunity, then, to conduct my business on the occupied planets while the Goa'uld's attention is elsewhere. Wouldn't you agree?"

Cam gave her long look, carefully neutral.

"Definitely an opportunity."

* * *

A few hours later, sitting at the back of ship and munching on a piece of bread, Daniel pondered something that had been bothering him for a while. He bit his lips…should he ask her? He probably should. She seemed perfectly calm in the pilot's seat, so this was probably the moment.

He was starting to get up when Mitchell's hand on his shoulder held him back.

"Dooon't go there," the other man warned, putting down his own snack.

"You don't even know what I'm going to do!"

"Don't need to," Cam deadpanned. "I know that look. It's trouble. Don't go there."

Daniel sat back down with a sigh. He scratched the back of his head. "Before I uhm…left…well before those ring things transported me to Apophis' ship…we,erm, had a little..mmm…" He cleared his throat. "We had a little…disagreement…of sorts."

Mitchell scoffed. "Little? Vala was mad as a hornet when Teal'c and I got back. Thought it was just because you'd make a break for it…somethin' happen before that?"

"She kind of…caught me in her room." He grimaced. "That sounds worse than it was."

Cam's eyes widened. "You went in there without her permission?" He whistled in awe. "No wonder she blew a gasket." Shaking his head, he fixed Daniel with a disbelieving glare. "You're lucky she didn't blow your head off."

"Not for the lack of trying," the archaeologist grumbled.

"And you were gonna remind her about that? Take a friendly suggestion, Toto…don't go there…ever."

"_Why_?"

"Cameron?" Vala called from the front of the ship. "Would you take over for landing, please? I'm going to get things ready for the trades."

Mitchell clasped a hand on Daniel shoulder. "She's got issues, Jackson. Just like the rest of us. Live with it. Learn to love it."

* * *

This time, they had landed in a small city bustling with activity. Through the window, they could see several more ships beside theirs, each looking equally shabby. The air was dusty and the sun burned bright, and people milled about everywhere on the ground. Dirty stone buildings lay a short distance away, each of them several stories high.

"This is the biggest place we've ever landed so far," Daniel remarked. "Its level of development looks to be somewhere around the early Renaissance period."

Vala gave him the same look of contempt she reserved for his unintelligible historical musings.

"He's got a point," Cam chipped in. "We could've traded on Kesh. Fewer people, smaller risk of running into someone who wants to kill us."

"The prices are better here," Vala justified. "Besides," she added sweetly, "no one wants to kill us, Cameron. We're very well loved."

His laughter echoed in the small ship, as she picked up the bag of trinkets they had to trade. Cam grabbed his gun, expertly hiding it underneath his shirt, and Teal'c pulled a hat of sorts over his Jaffa symbol. Daniel watched them prepare, silently wishing he would get to explore any of the planets they traded on. But of course, they never allowed that. He watched Vala saunter to the exit ramp.

Then to his surprise, she turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Are you coming or not?"

His jaw dropped. "You—you want me to come?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're the slowest Tau'ri I ever met." Then she marched down the ramp without a glance back.

Daniel turned to Mitchell and Teal'c for an explanation, but the human just shrugged, and the Jaffa nodded invitingly to the ramp. He did not need to be told twice, rushing out of the ship to catch up with the fickle space pirate.

"Stay close," she ordered, coughing as the dry air reached her lungs. "It's easy to get lost."

It was an effort to hear her. Shouts, squeals and salesmen's chants echoed from everywhere around.

"Where are we going?" he shouted, but she just beckoned him to follow. Cam and Teal'c had already melted in the crowd – a group of four always attracted too much unwanted attention.

Daniel looked around in wonder as they walked the busy streets. The architecture itself looked, as he had said, like something out of the late 1300s on Earth. But the people's outfits ranged from medieval-type dresses, to long-johns, tunics, leather pants, togas and something that looked suspiciously like jeans. He saw golden coins exchange hands, as well as data disks and crystals. The only thing anyone had in common was their desire to trade.

"Here," Vala suddenly stopped, grabbing his arm to stop him from bumping into another passer-by. "This is it."

He looked up. They were in front of an old, two-story high granite building, with very small windows and an air of antiquity about it. He squinted to read the symbols above the door, but dust and wear had made them difficult to decipher. Still…the place had a familiar air about it.

"Uh, I don't think you're in the right place," he told Vala with a slight frown. "This doesn't look like a trading shop, it looks like a—"

"Just go in," she interrupted impatiently, practically shoving him through the front door.

Once inside, the archaeologist gasped. A smell of wood and candle wax lingered in the air, and the whole ground floor was filled to the ceiling with shelves! Shelves upon shelves of books, scrolls, tablets and disks. It was quiet, so quiet he could hear his breathing, and the sounds of old crisp pages being turned behind some dusty shelf.

He turned to Vala, utterly stunned. "I've never seen so many alien books in my life!"

"You've never seen _any_ alien books in your life," she dryly pointed out, then took a deep breath. "Right. I'll be back for you in a few hours. Be prepared to leave in a hurry," she added after brief consideration.

"Wait!" he called out as she was about to leave. "Uh…thank you very much!"

Vala just waived a dismissive hand without even looking over her shoulder. "Just stay of trouble."

She walked out of the library, while Daniel turned to face the thousands of books, awed at the prospects they offered.

Right outside, Mitchell and Teal'c exchanged a glance.

"Well would you look at that," the human muttered.

"It is an unexpected occurrence."

"But encouraging."

"Indeed."

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading! As always, I love hearing from you.**

**~SC  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This chapter comes as a little bit of a surprise to me. I was going to jump straight into the action, and not do the snowball-fight/dance scene, since I couldn't imagine Vala taking Daniel to anything even remotely like a ballroom. But so many of you seemed so excited by it! And you're right, it is such a beautiful scene in the movie. So I decided to see if the characters would play along.**

**Thanks so much to everyone who sent me their feedback! You guys really inspired me to take this chapter in a slightly different direction that I planned to! **

**Chapter 13**

"Who does he think he is!" The beautiful woman slammed a fist against the table, sending bits of salad flying. "That bastard tangled with the wrong woman! No one says no to Hathon!"

"Oh, look, Senator Kinsey wants you to host his re-election dinner…" Her dumpling-shaped friend enthusiastically waved an envelope, hoping to defuse the mounting storm. "You're so popu—"

"Dismissed! Rejected! Publicly humiliated!"

The other woman sighed. "Hathon, it's been weeks…"

"I don't care if it's been decades!" the beauty queen roared. "I'll _never_ forgive him!"

"I hate to see you like this, all wound up over one scrawny bookworm. There's dozens of him waiting out there right now, ready to jump if you only give them a sign…"

But Hathon was not listening. "I. Want. Him. _Punished_!" she bellowed, her eyes bloodshot.

"Alright well that's all fine, except he's been missing for, what, a month now? Even you couldn't find out what the Airforce wanted with him or where they have him!"

The plate of salad flew across the room, shattering against the opposite wall. The small woman had the presence to duck.

"I'll find him," Hathon swore, "and when I do, I'll show him that no one rejects me and gets away with it!"

"Of course. Meanwhile, try to focus on the positives, eh? Remember, you're everyone's favorite girl!"

The majestic woman sank into an armchair. "What use is that if I can't get my hands on Daniel."

"Now, don't be pessimistic – no one's as tenacious as you! I'm sure you'll—"

A commotion outside the small apartment interrupted her train of thought. Both women turned just as the door flew open.

"Hathon! Finally! Oh get _off_ me, you overgrown doormat—" Oma shook off an assistant trying to hold her back and rushed to the beauty queen's side. "I need your help!"

The flustered assistant followed her into the room. "I'm sorry, I tried to tell her that she can't just come in, security is on the way..." He was silenced by a quick hand wave from his boss.

"She's got Daniel and you're my only chance of finding them!"

Hathon slowly stood up from the armchair, all traces of her previous agitation gone. "_Who's_ got Daniel?"

"This…this crazy woman, with a gun! She's probably fixed her ship by now, and God-only-knows where she took him!" The scientist looked a little desperate. "You _have_ to help me."

The two younger women exchanged a mocking look.

"Help you…" Hathon smirked. "Of course I will."

Oma's shoulders relaxed. "I'll need a way to go after them. And since that Hammond_,_" she said the name with some disdain, "won't let me through the stargate again, I'll just have to make a ship. Or better yet," she reconsidered with a slight frown, "you can use your considerable clout to convince those NASA stooges to let me install my technology on one of their shuttles. That would get me out in space ten times faster."

The taller woman crossed her arms. "You want me to help you make a...spaceship."

"Only financially, of course," Oma reassured, "I wouldn't expect you to do any actual building. But we need to hurry, that woman could be _anywhere_ by now!" She was momentarily distracted as four security guards walked in, then waved them off dismissively. "Oh, you don't need to be here, your boss has already decided to listen to me. Right, Hathon?" She looked toward Daniel's insistent pursuer. "You'll help me out?"

The beautiful red-head smirked again. "Naturally…I will help you out, Oma." She nodded to the guards. "Let's help her out boys, shall we?"

"What? Hey—get your hands _off_ me, you—Hathon!" Oma struggled against the guard's rough grip as they pushed her toward the door. "You said you'd help! I need to get Daniel! I thought you cared about him!"

Hathon watched with silent satisfaction as the older woman was thrown out. As soon as the door had closed behind Oma, however, her expression changed to one of spite.

"All I _care_ about, old woman, is that your son pays for having scorned me," she muttered through clenched teeth. Then she turned to her plump friend, and smiled deviously. "My dear, I'm afraid I've thinking…"

"A dangerous past time," the other joked.

"I know. But that wacky old hag, Daniel's mother, may just have given me the way to get to him." She pulled out a sheet of paper from a desk drawer started writing on it, in capital letters. "The wheels in my head have been turning since that nutcase opened her mouth. Hammond…stargate…and NASA." She held up the paper, with the three words underlined. "Three essential pieces of the puzzle. And along with that loony old woman, my ticket to getting to Daniel."

* * *

Oblivious to all plots against him and his planet, Daniel was having a surprisingly good time doing his assigned chores on Vala's ship. They had landed on a small moon that, the eccentric crew claimed, was too far removed from both trade routes and the stargate network to be of any interest to anyone. Which made it perfect for unplanned repairs and hiding from their latest con victim.

And, since the weather on the moon that evening was clear and chilly, they had the opportunity for some unexpected recreation.

"This is the most ridiculous Tau'ri invention I've ever heard of." Vala's grumbled protest rang over the crackling of their small fire. He watched her discard yet another failed clump of goo into the fire, chuckling as she yelped when a hot spark jumped on her fingers. "It's never going to work!"

"That's because you're doing it wrong," he explained, picking up his own stick and reaching for the bag of food they had bartered from a nearby village. Much to his delight, the locals grew a type of edible sponge, very high in sugar content, that was particularly tasty when melted over a fire. "Try to keep it away from the actual flames, so that it doesn't catch fire."

Vala stuck another sponge on her stick, and clumsily placed it over the fire. Two seconds later, it had been reduced to a rapidly-shrinking torch. "Argh!" she shook the burning sponge off, then turned to glower at him. "How exactly am I supposed to keep it from burning, when I'm sticking it _in_ a fire?"

He laughed again. There was something endearing about her grumpy protests. Yet, only a few short weeks back, he had thought of her as a cold-hearted, murdering space-pirate. She was a ruthless con, who had held his mother prisoner and kidnapped him. But that ruthless con was now so focused on angling the sponge exactly right, that her eyes narrowed and a small crease appeared between her eyebrows. He couldn't help but smile at her sour expression when the thing caught fire again.

"Here, try this…" He put a new sponge on her stick, and guided her hand so that the sponge was now nestled in a hot place between two logs. "Keep twisting it, until it turns light brown…"

Vala stared at the place where his hand had touched hers. Then she turned her head to look at him. The heat from the fire had left two bright spots in her cheeks, and her eyes watered slightly from the smoke. A crack from the fire drew her attention for a second, and when she turned back, her expression was one of utter delight.

"Look!" She held up the stick with her perfectly roasted sponge, so enthusiastically that the treat flew right off the stick into the bushes. Her bewildered expression caused Daniel to burst into laughter. In response, Vala threw a stick at him.

"Well who'd have thought, eh, big guy?" A small distance away, Mitchell had just finished gathering some more wood for the fire. Teal'c had ended his Kel'no'reem aboard their vessel, and now they both watched the scene by the campfire, reluctant to interrupt. "Who'd have known…" Mitchell repeated, with a shake of his head.

"Who, indeed." The Jaffa leaned against the hull of the Alkesh. "It is most peculiar."

"I'm telling you Teal'c…" Cameron watched Vala laugh as she managed to burn another sponge, and stick her tongue out at their Tau'ri guest. "There may be something there that sure as hell wasn't there before."

* * *

They spent another day on the planet, mostly resting and cleaning the ship. Mitchell and Vala went into the village for some trinkets, and returned with fresh fruit and an overly friendly dog-like creature that hopped around their ship for hours until finally returning to its local owner.

That night, they made another fire, and watched the wood glow and the sparks fly for many quiet hours.

At some point, Mitchell walked back to the Alkesh only to return with a tattered guitar. "Couldn't leave it behind," he answered Daniel's curious gaze. "They don't make'em like this anywhere else in the galaxy." He strummed the chords, smiling as the notes filled the quiet night. "I'll be over by the ship if you need me," he said as he stood up, "don't want this baby too close to those flying embers."

The notes of his guitar floated over a minute later, in a slow, sweet tune accompanied by the crackling wood. Vala leaned against a tree trunk, closing her eyes to enjoy the night.

Daniel looked up at the stars, trying in vain to find a familiar constellation. "Where are we?" he whispered to Teal'c, who was making sure the fire kept going. "In the galaxy, I mean..."

"We are on the outer rim of Yu's sector," the Jaffa replied. "One of the safer systems under the rule of the Goa'uld."

The Tau'ri nodded, lost in thought for a few seconds, then he looked up again.

"How did the Goa'uld come to be so powerful? I mean...they're just...humans, with technology." He moved closer to the fire, as the night was growing colder. "In human society, most dictatorships eventually inspire rebellion, and the leaders are defeated before they can attain universal control."

Teal'c cocked his head. "The Goa'uld are not human, Daniel Jackson. They are parasitic creatures that must take humans hosts to survive. And they are very difficult to kill."

"Parasites?" Daniel's eyes widened. "Wait...what happens to the host?"

Vala shifted in her spot, opening her eyes to give them a dark look.

"The experience is not something that surviving hosts wish to discuss," Teal'c said eventually.

The notes from Mitchell's guitar grew louder, the song more dynamic. A furry creature jumped out from the bushes, hopping close enough to the fire to snatch some left-over crumbs from their dinner. Teal'c closed his eyes in meditation.

A few minutes later, the Jaffa stood up and slowly walked over to the Alkesh. He re-emerged to join Mitchell, and Daniel could hear the other man's cheerful voice ("Up for a duet, big guy?"), slightly muffled by the distance and the sounds of the forest. It was not long before a second set of notes, longer and higher, like those of a flute, mingled with Mitchell's guitar.

The furry creature returned, picking the last visible pieces of bread from the grass. Daniel looked over to Vala; sensing his gaze, she turned her head and opened her eyes. The music floated between them.

"They're very good," Daniel whispered, his throat suddenly a little dry. "I didn't know they could..."

Some night bug chirped right next to them in the grass.

"Cameron loves that thing," Vala replied, her gaze fixed on the fire. "And music is an important part of most Jaffa rituals. It's taught to them from a young age."

"Right..." he trailed off, letting the notes fill the silence while his brain struggled for something to say.

Vala made a move to stand up, faltering as her hand slipped on the grass.

Daniel jumped up. "Here, let me help you."

He reached a hand, and she took it a little uncertainly, letting him pull her to her feet. They stood, face to face, her hand still in his, while the flames danced merrily behind them. The music grew louder again, filling the space between, a happy, bouncy song that made them both smile. Then the notes slowed down, turning into a slow, dulcet melody.

Before he knew it, Daniel lifted their hands, pulling Vala a little closer. "Dance with me?" he asked, turning her slowly on the spot before she could refuse. She put a hand on his shoulder.

Next to the ship, Mitchell plucked the chords on his guitar, watching the two slowly spinning to his song. He sighed against his will, then looked to Teal'c. "Tale as old as time, my friend..." he murmured, while the Jaffa nodded silently, adding his notes to the harmonious tune.

* * *

**A/N: Feedback is much valued, as always. Thank you for reading!**

**~SC**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks so much to everyone reading this story! I love hearing back from you. Your comments are so kind. Not to mention the number of times I've gotten ideas from them. So, thank you!**

**Chapter 14**

Vala leaned against an old tree, watching the outline of a nearby gas planet shining in the night sky. The air was growing colder, now that the fire had all but gone out; she wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm.

The grass rustled behind her. She did not need to turn to know who it was.

"I'm sorry, Daniel." Her voice sounded sad.

He stopped next to her, a little uncertain. "Sorry for what?"

"I took you away from everything you knew. Kept you against your will. Tried to use your for profit…" She shrugged. "I guess it's true what they say. We can only be what we are, nothing more."

Daniel did not know how to reach out to her. He swallowed hard.

"You showed me more than _anyone_ on my planet has ever seen," he said finally. "If it hadn't been for you, I'd still be stuck in a dusty of corner of Colorado, the laughing stock of everyone else in academia."He stuck his hands in his pockets, swaying a little awkwardly on the balls of his feet. "I should probably thank you for the chance to learn all this. There's nothing more I could wish for."

Vala frowned slightly, and gave him a long look. "Nothing…?"

"Well…" he trailed off, for the first time in days pondering his true situation. "I'd like to let Oma know that I'm okay…and one day, maybe share everything I've learned with her and everyone back home…"

She let her chin drop to her chest, staring at the moist foliage. "Come on, let's go back inside," she said after a few moments, her tone suddenly light. "We're taking off in a few hours and a girl needs her beauty sleep."

* * *

Cameron woke up the next morning with a stuffy nose and the distinct sensation that the bed was moving. It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening.

"Morning, princess." Zipping up his jacket, he walked over to the pilot's seat. "I thought we were picking up another round of supplies before take-off."

"I did that early in the morning," Vala replied, not taking her eyes off the command console.

Mitchell grabbed a protein bar from a bag hanging on the edge of her seat, then plopped down next to her.

"So…looks like everything's going just peachy with our guest. I knew you had it in you." He took a bite, continuing as he chewed. "Where are we headed, anyway?"

"Alaris," Vala replied.

"Didn't we just crash on that rock last month?" Cameron looked confused. "What, did you forget something?"

"It's the closest planet whose stargate isn't controlled by the Goa'uld."

Mitchell shrugged, not fully understanding her plan, but not overly worried. Vala usually had good business in mind. "So," he asked as he took another bite of the protein bar, "why do we need a stargate?"

"I'm letting him go."

He nodded absently. "Yeah, that sounds like a—_what_?" He sputtered a few crumbs, staring at her in shock. "Say that again?"

Vala finally took her eyes off the console to look straight at him, her gaze desolate. "I'm letting Daniel go home. I have to."

"Did he _say_ that he wants to go? Recently," Cameron added at her dry glare, since Daniel had said little else during his first days on the ship.

Vala bit her lips, looking even sadder. "It's the right thing to do."

* * *

"Wake up, Toto." Mitchell called out to the other man, quietly shaking his head at what he knew was about to happen. "You're going back to Kansas."

Teal'c shared his displeasure at the news. But how could they argue when Vala was, for the first time in a long time, putting someone else's interests before her own? She had finally learned to let someone in…and now if Jackson left, it would all have been in vain.

"Kansas?" The archaeologist sounded confused.

Mitchell just nodded toward the ship's door. It was not his place to say more.

"Come on," he instructed. "Vala's waiting by the gate."

Daniel had still barely recovered from his confusion when they reached the stargate. The vortex shone merrily in front of them, casting blue reflections even in the daylight.

Next to the DHD, Vala greeted him with a short nod. "It's dialed to the coordinates of your homeworld," she informed him without preamble.

His jaw dropped slightly. "Uh…what?"

"It's been a blast, Jackson." Cameron clapped him on the back, and Teal'c nodded his head.

"It has been an honor meeting you, Daniel Jackson."

"Wait, guys, I don't understand, what's…" The two of them had silently retreated a few steps, so he turned to Vala. "What's going on?"

She indicated the stargate with move of her head. "You're going home, Daniel."

"Home?" His eyes widened. "Does that mean that…"

"I release you...you're no longer my prisoner. Consider your sentence served," she added with a bitter laugh. She quickly reined it in, though, and gave him an honest look. "You should see your mother again. And tell everyone what you've learned. Show up all those people who ever laughed at you."

His face broke into a grin. "That's…that's great! Thank you!" He took a step toward the gate, then stopped. His excitement dwindled as he turned back to her. "Wait…how am I going to see you again?"

Vala sighed, then pushed a small metal sphere into his hand. "Take this with you. I can't guarantee it works at such long ranges, but if you can't contact me, at least you'll have a way to remember me."

Daniel looked at the communication device, then back up at her. He opened his mouth to say something…

"Go," Vala instructed. "The stargate doesn't stay open forever."

With a nod, and one last look at her and her crew, he stepped into the wormhole.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter (already written and coming up shortly!) we'll get to see Daniel and Oma reunited, although their happiness will be fairly short-lived...the drama isn't over yet! Thanks for reading:). Feedback is loved.  
**

**~SC  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The plump woman grinned as she reread the two letters. Stuffing them in her purse, she hurried up the stairs, walking into her friend's room without knocking.

"This better be good," Hathon growled, barely sparing the smaller woman a glance.

The woman grinned. "Guess who just got back on the radar."

Hathon's eyes immediately became alert. "Don't tell me—"

"Our very own Daniel Jackson," her friend announced. "That airman you paid off earned his cash." She pulled one of the letters out of the bag. "Apparently he just walked out of that…stargate, yesterday night, like he'd never been gone. He's debriefing Hammond as we speak."

"Call my man at the FBI. Tell him it's time to pick up Oma." The redhead's eyes narrowed maliciously. "That should be good enough bait for our boy."

"Already done," the short woman nodded. "But wait, there's more." She pulled out the second letter. "Your man at NASA had news, too. Apparently, also yesterday, an object was picked up by some deep space radar thingy. It's big, and its headed this way."

Hathon frowned in confusion. "Are you telling me that that old nutcase was _not_ completely psychotic? That there's an actual…_spaceship_…on its way to us?"

"That's what NASA thinks."

"Hm…" The majestic woman took a few steps around the room. "Well, that's certainly an intriguing prospect. It doesn't change my plans for Daniel, of course." Her lips curled in anger. "He'll learn that he messed with the wrong woman."

She walked over to her dressed, starting to pull out outfits. "Tell our men to wait until Daniel goes to see Oma, then get them both and bring them here. No need to be gentle," she added cruelly. "Then contact my man in the Office and tell him if an alien species makes contact, I want to _be_ there. After all," she smiled sweetly, "this planet is getting a little small for my taste. I could use some new grounds to exert my influence."

* * *

Daniel rushed to the damp cell, grabbing the bars as though he hoped to rip them out. "Mom!"

"Daniel…?" Oma stood up from the small cot, rushing to the bars. Her hands gripped his with something akin to desperation. "Daniel! I thought…I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again!"

He smiled, squeezing her hands. "It's okay, Mom…I'm home."

"Let me look at you!" She cupped his face, brushing the hair out of his eyes. "I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too…although," he teased, "I wasn't expecting to find you in prison!"

Oma waved a dismissive hand. "Oh forget about that, some bureaucratic nonsense…but how did you get here? That crazy woman! How did you escape?"

He bit his lips a little uncomfortably. "I didn't…actually, she let me go."

"That vicious space bandit?" Oma sounded incredulous.

"She's…different, now. Somehow, she changed. Look," he held up a hand to stop her from voicing further doubts, "we'll have time to talk…what do you say if we get you out of this cell, first?"

"I think that's a fantastic idea," she agreed. "I've been shouting for hours and so far they've been ignoring me."

"Yeah, I don't know why they'd—"

He was cut off by the sudden appearance of four suspiciously beefy, menacing-looking men. One of them stepped forward, a deep frown on his face, while the other three subtly patted their belts, revealing hidden weapons.

Daniel groaned. "This can't be good."

* * *

Daniel had finally stopped protesting after nothing he or Oma said made any different to the four goons. He just let himself be led along an endless corridor, until finally a massive pair of wooden doors opened up ahead. The men shoved him through so forcefully that he tripped on the thick carpet, landing on all four with a clumsy "oomph!".

"I knew it was you behind all of this!" his mother's accusing voice made him raise his eyes. And sure enough, a very familiar face greeted him from behind the hand-carved wooden desk.

"Hathon." He had all but forgotten about her, her irritating ways now so distant and petty compared to all he had lived since their last encounter. "Eh, listen…this isn't really a good time…"

"_I_ decide what's a good time, Daniel," she cut him off, her voice silky yet oddly menacing.

She got up and walked around the desk, allowing them to see her in her full outfit, a flowing gauze dress that reached all the way to the floor. Daniel couldn't help comparing her to Vala's black, close-cut business outfits. Hathon came out losing in that comparison. Or any comparison, really.

"How nice of you to drop by," she smiled, a touch of irony to her voice. "I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

"Well…I've been a little busy." He suddenly found that he had no more patience for her games. "Actually, I've been really busy."

"Yes, I heard. Kidnapped, the grapevine says…and by a space pirate no less!" She let out a peel of laughter at his horrified expression. "Yes, I'm very well informed. Actually, I'm better informed than you, I bet, my beloved Daniel."

She picked up a remote control from the desk, pointing it to the opposite wall. A large screen descended from the ceiling, showing a view of space. A gigantic, pyramid-shaped vessel rested at the center of the image.

"This lovely craft entered our orbit late last night…just a day or so after you arrived, actually." She crossed her arms, still regarding him with an air of smug superiority. "Apparently it blew up all sorts of satellites and no one knows what to do. Turns out your family is less crazy than I thought." She clicked the remote, and a face appeared on the screen. "Then this morning, a broadcast from _him_ was received and translated by NASA…"

Daniel's eyes all but popped out of his sockets. He stared, horrified, at the screen. "Apophis!"

This time, it was Hathon's turn to look surprised. Behind Daniel, Oma mirrored her expression.

"You _know_ him?" they both asked at the same time.

Daniel grimaced. "Erm, unfortunately. Not a pleasant character."

"Hm." Hathon turned off the screen. "He wants to meet with our leaders…and I'm going to be there."

"_That's_ not a good idea." Much as he disliked her, Daniel felt it was his duty to warn Hathon. "His kind do very bad things to people...attack and enslave whole planets, for one, and that's not even the worst part."

She frowned thoughtfully. "You do seem to know an awful lot about this…Apophis. Was he one of these "space pirates" who kidnapped you?"

Daniel scratched his neck, cringing at the recollection. "No…I kind of ended up on his ship by mistake. But I barely managed to escape…trust me, you don't want to get anywhere near him."

The tall red-headed beauty smirked. "On the contrary, dearest Daniel…near him is exactly where I want to be. And," she added with a slow smile, "perhaps I could bring him his escaped prisoner…as a token of my good intentions, of course."

Too late, the archaeologist realized he may have said too much.

"Take care of her," Hathon nodded to one of the goons. "Not like that, idiot," she snapped when the man made a move for his gun. "I need her alive…for now. Just keep her out of my way. As for you, my lovely Daniel…you're coming with me."

* * *

**A/N: You didn't think our beloved Daniel could go a day without getting in trouble, did you? I hope you enjoyed this chapter:) feedback is always appreciated. **

**~SC  
**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"It's a shame about your mother." Hathon took a sip of her champagne, grinning at Daniel over the rim of her cup. He scowled in return.

"You know you can't hold her against her will! Not even your father's influence will help you get away with kidnapping, Hathon."

"Oh but, I'm not the one holding her, Daniel...the FBI arrested her for grand theft." She picked up a round slice of cucumber from the plate in front on her. "I merely...nudged them in the right direction."

"She didn't steal anything, that was her module and she had every right to fly it."

"That's not what the law says," the redhead smirked. "I hear she's looking at years in prison. Of course...I could put in a good word," she purred, leaning forward in her seat so that he got a full view of her chest. "If..."

Daniel leaned further back into his seat. "If what?"

"If you take my offer," she finished with a seductive smile. "What do you say, Daniel? Join me, and your mother walks."

"Never." He crossed his arms, wishing there was some way he could get away. Of course, thirty-thousand feet in the air, the escape venues were slim. And suddenly, catering to Hathon's childish whims just wasn't good enough anymore.

He looked her straight in the eyes. "I don't know why you have it in your head that I'm the man for you, but you're wrong. And this whole...tyrannical obsession thing you've got going on, well, that's really kind of unhealthy!" His own words surprised him a little; not that he hadn't always felt that way, but never before had he considered actually saying it out loud. It felt...cathartic. "You don't want me, Hathon. And," he finished quietly, "I definitely don't want you."

She slammed the champagne glass on the table, so hard that the leg shattered. One of her men looked over from the front of the cabin, but wisely stayed out of it.

"What happened to you out there, Daniel?" she growled through her teeth. "You're... different."

He didn't feel different. Just angry. "I'm sorry. But I have plans, Hathon, plans that don't involve you, and I think we should just end this game. We're both grown ups."

"Plans?" she snapped. "What plans could you _possibly _have, Daniel, when according to your own mother you spent the last month locked up in a cell by a maniacal alien? What exactly have you been doing on your little space trip?"

"You know, I don't think you have the right to ask me all these questions." He would have liked to get out of his seat, but all there was in the cabin were Hathon and two of her goons.

"How dare you?" she screeched, sending the food plate flying as she slapped a hand on the table. "I offer you everything - everything! And you say no to me."

"Hathon, you're not-"

"Think about it, Daniel," the woman hissed menacingly. "I own people, corporations, governments. I own the world around you! And you're scorning me, _me_! And for what? Did you find yourself some dirty little alien -"

"Stop it!" he said angrily, unwilling to hear say even a single thing about Vala.

She looked like she would attack him for a second, but a forceful jolt sent her flying backward into one of the seats. The seatbelt sign came on, and another jolt pinned her down just as she was about to jump at him again. After a few seconds, she stopped trying to attack, and instead stared at him with cold, furious eyes.

"Fine. Have it your way."

* * *

The ship rattled from all its joints as it finally hit the ground with a loud _clank_. Smoke came out from the engine room, and the navigation panel was shooting sparks. The floor still vibrated with the last tremors of the dying engines.

"Son of a..." Mitchell jumped out of the pilot's chair when the console in front of him let out a short blue flame. He assessed the damage. "Yeah, we're not going anywhere for a while."

Next to him, Vala was kneeling on the floor, carefully extracting two crystals from the panel below the navigation consoles. The tips of her fingers were singed from the hot controls, and she muttered a string of choice words under her breath as she labored to keep the crystals from overheating.

Cam looked over his shoulder. Teal'c seemed to have gone to deal with the fire in the engine room. So, he'd have to do this without backup. But it needed to be done, so with a shake of his head, he kneeled by Vala.

"I think they're all salvageable," she murmured, focused on examining a slight crack in one of the crystals, "except for air recirculation." Two halves of a split crystal rolled toward him. "But we can replace it with the alert systems component until we get a new one...that should keep the air going."

Cam picked up one of the halves. "Vala..."

She pushed her upper body under the pilot's console, dodging a couple of loose wires. "This doens't look too bad. The consoles will be fine once they cool down...hopefully Muscles keeps the engines from blowing up until we get some parts from the market." She came back out, a stain of soot on her cheek. "No place better for spare parts than this little smuggler's haven," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

Mitchel sighed. "Vala."

She looked up, a half-defensive, half-defiant look in her eyes. "Yes, Cameron?"

"You're not gonna make this easy, are you?"

Vala pushed herself up from the floor, wiping her hands on her pants. Her nose instinctively scrunched up in disgust at the state of her outfit, but her gaze returned to him in an instant. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He watched her walk away without another word. "Yup...didn't think so."

Unfortunately for Vala, Mitchell was a very persistent man, who happened to think they absolutely needed to talk. He followed her, catching up right outside the flimsy courtain that separated her private quarters.

"Alright princess." Cam leaned against the wall, ignoring her glare. "How 'bout a little chat?"

She pushed the courtain aside, ready to walk into her room. "I'm fine, Mitchell."

"Yeah, I know you're fine." He put an arm out, blocking her path. "'cept you've been trying to get yourself killed ever since Lassie went home. And frankly, I think we're starting to run out of luck," he sighed, with a nod toward the smoking engine room.

"I'm not trying to get us killed, Cameron!" She crossed her arms defensively. "I'm just seeking out new business opportunities."

"Vala, trying to hijack a naquadah shipment to Osiris is not business, it's just plain crazy. Nah-ah!" He held up a hand to stop her protest. "Just listen. Me and the big guy, we're up for all the crazy hijacks and all the reckless cons, if that's what you want. But I get the feeling-"

"Nothing's changed, Cameron." Her voice sounded tired. "Things are just they way they should be." The look she gave him was so desolate, that even Mitchell did not find the heart to argue further.

* * *

It was few hours later that they first heard the news. Teal'c had just returned from a trip to the local market, which was indeed, as Vala had so aptly put it, every smuggler's dream.

"Muscles." Vala greeted from the navigation seat, half-heartedly adopting a slightly more cheerful expression. "Everything went well?"

Teal'c nodded. "I have acquired a new power coil and fire-resistant coating for the naquadah conduits." He walked up to her, and placed the satchel on top of a console. "I have also heard a most unsettling rumor."

"Aw heck, don't tell me Osiris decided to follow us to this rock," Mitchell groaned, walking out from the engine room and heading toward them.

"Indeed not. However, there is word of Apophis's fleet heading toward the Tau'ri home world."

Mitchell's eyes widened. "What the - how is that even possible! How'd that snake know the coordinates?"

"The planet has been under Goa'uld control before. Its location is known." He frowned, considering possible options. "I believe the Goa'uld have never wished to return there after the rebellion...until now."

"What on Earth - literally, _what _on Earth made Apophis drag an entire fleet halfway across the galaxy?" Cam was more than a little agitated by the news. He knew the snakes' MO...blow up, plunder, enslave...not a fate he wished on his home planet. "Why him? Why _now_!"

"The planet was never a threat before," Vala commented in a low voice. "The System Lords never knew how far your people managed to advance."

"What, and now they suddenly got a subscription to the _Times_? How the hell did they-" He broke off as he realized what had happened. With a groan, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Jackson."

"It does indeed seem plausible that meeting Daniel Jackson has caused Apophis to take an interest in your homeworld."

"And now he's there," Mitchell deadpanned. "With a mothership and God-knows-what else. Earth doesn't stand a chance." Vala's eyes betrayed her panic, only adding to Mitchell's frustration. "Damn it!" He passed both hands through his hair, trying, trying to find a way to stop things.

Teal'c nodded quietly. Still in the pilot's seat, Vala brought up her knees to her chest, and propped her chin on the back of the seat. Her eyes looked somewhere far past her two crewmates as she pondered the news. After a long silence, she finally focused her gaze on Mitchell.

"I remember when I found you, Cameron," she said with a small smile.

He smiled almost against himself. "You mean, when you crashed into my back yard and tried to shoot me?"

Vala shrugged innocently.. "I didn't know you back then. And your frightful bog kept trying to eat me."

He shook his head. "Dog," he corrected. "And for the record, golden labs aren't exactly known for their ferociousness."

She nodded, not really listening anymore, as her mind went back to those days, a few years back, when she had first met retired colonel Cameron rickety ship had crashed in a snowy forest on a backwater planet whose name she didn't even know, and it was there that she had met the first Tau'ri she had ever seen...and his hairy yellow bog.

"I never asked you if you missed it," she realized in a wistful tone. "Or if you wanted to go back."

She did not seem to want a reply, so he kept silent. Teal'c, his hands joined behind his back, watched her with an intrigued expression. Vala spent a long silent moment still curled up on the pilot's seat, biting her lips, her expression a mix of sadness and conflict. Then all of a sudden, she snapped out of it.

Mitchell's eyes met hers. "You're gonna try to get us killed again, aren't you," he deadpanned.

"No." She sounded sincere. "I wouldn't ask you to come with me. But I'm going to...do _something_. I don't know what, yet..." She bit her lips again, and gave a lopsided nod. "But it's probably going to be very stupid."

* * *

**A/N: Many thanks to all of you out there still following the story. It's great hearing from you:) **

**~SC  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Daniel watched Hathon pace back and forth in the richly decorated room. Apparently, flying to Washington had gotten her no further than a corrupt senator's living room. There was no indication of what Apophis's plans were, but meeting Hathon did not seem to be a priority for the Goa'uld snake god.

Imagine that.

Unsurprisingly, the woman was not happy. "I can't believe these incompetents haven't managed to get in touch with him yet!"

The archaeologist groaned. "Hathon," he said for the hundredth time, "this isn't your regular science fiction movie alien. He's a vicious, cruel creature whose sole purpose is to destroy or enslave everyone on Earth! You'd be better off running as far away from him as possible! Or using whatever influence you have to convince our government that they need to work out a battle plan!"

She completely disregarded this warning, as she had the ones before. "Sorry, Daniel, but I'm not going to stop until I get on that ship. And you're coming with me," she added with grim satisfaction. "Who knows, maybe you'll get to see your little space pirate again." Her face contorted in silent fury. "I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye out for her."

"You're insane." Daniel stated simply, a little awed at the fact that no one had realized it before.

Suddenly his backpack started ringing. Daniel was a little startled - the backpack had been taken away from him when they got on the plane, and he had completely forgotten about it. It now lay in a corner of the room, the shrill sound of the phone coming from within.

"Who's that?" Hathon's eyes narrowed.

He shrugged. He barely remembered owning a cell phone. Sam had given it back to him after the briefing at Stargate Command. It was probably her calling, too. A little hope lit up inside Daniel...maybe Sam could trace the phone, get him out of there and help him get Oma back.

"Get me that," the redhead ordered one of her men. As soon as she got her hands on the backpack, she started rummaging through it. "That ringing is driving me insane!" She finally located the cell, pulled it out of the bag and smashed it against the desk. The ringing stopped.

"Much better," Hathon smiled, throwing the backpack to the floor. "We wouldn't want anyone interrupting us before..." she trailed off as something hit her leg. Looking down, she noticed a metal sphere. It had rolled out of the backpack, and was now resting against her ankle. She picked it up with a frown. "What's this?"

Daniel's eyes widened. The communication device! Before he could think of anything to stop her, Hathon had pressed her fingers into the small dents on each side of the sphere.

An image of Vala rose up from the device, flickering slightly.

The redhead dropped the sphere with a small yelp, and it rolled a few feet before coming to a stop on the lacquered floor. The image became clear again. Then Vala's voice rang out.

"Daniel. Daniel. You need to hear this. Daniel." Her face turned to something out of their line of sight. "I'm not getting a response. The direct link doesn't work on this damn thing!" She turned back again, her expression urgent. "Daniel, listen very carefully. Apophis's mothership is headed to the Tau'ri homeworld." The image flickered for a moment, her voice replaced by static. "-not going to stop until your entire world is enslaved. You need to warn-" the image flickered again, and this time when it came back, she was talking to someone else again, sounding irritated. "-keeps losing the connection, I'm going to strangle Caius when I get my hands on him. Daniel-" she faced them again, looking increasingly agitated, but the image gave one last, long flicker and cut off.

The room was silent for one long moment. Then Hathon spoke up, her voice deceptively sweet.

"Well, well...wasn't that...interesting."

Daniel did not think the situation could get any worse.

"So that's the crazy alien woman that Oma described. Pot calling the kettle black, if you ask me," she added as an afterthought. "But she did look deranged...and dangerous! Poor Daniel...what did she do to you?"

"She's not dangerous, Hathon, she was just trying to warn us about Apophis!"

"She kidnapped you and your mother!" the woman retorted.

"So did you! At least Vala let us both go," he added, his tone unwittingly softer as he remembered how the space pirate had turned out to not be a villain after all.

Hathon's eyes glinted furiously. "Oh, it's Vala now, is it? If I didn't know better, I'd say you had feelings for this deranged little wh-"

"She's not deranged, Hathon," Daniel retorted disdainfully. "You are."

The redhead stood there, shaking with anger. "You're as crazy as that old hag," she finally spat, then she marched to the communication device and picked it up. "Let's see if I'm any more successful with this than your beloved _Vala_. Guard him!" she ordered the two goons, as she strode out of the room. "Shoot him if he tries to escape."

* * *

"I still think I should be the one going through." Cameron watched doubtfully as Vala strapped a Zat gun to her belt. He shook his head at her revealing leather costume. "No offense, Lara Croft, but you're not exactly what the average human expects from an alien."

She reached for another Zat. "I'll be fine. And you can't go to Earp-"

"Earth."

"-because you need to go to Cimmeria." Her voice trembled a little on the last word. "And Muscles needs to find us a stealth shield."

"I know," he waved her off, "but I don't like this. We'll be at least a couple of days behind you...think you can hold down the fort with a couple of Zats and a ribbon device?"

"I'll manage." She sounded less than convinced. "Alright, here goes..." she walked up the steps to the stargate, and turned back to give them a saucy wink. "Don't forget your jobs, boys. I'll see you on the Tau'ri homeworld! If it's still standing by the time you get there," she muttered to herself as she stepped into the vortex.

* * *

Vala's two shipmates watched her form disappear into the wormhole, which shut down a few seconds later. Mitchell let out a disgruntled sigh.

"Well, we're the ones who wanted her to put herself out there, open up, all the jazz."

Teal'c mirrored his expression. "I am beginning to wonder if it was unwise to bring Daniel Jackson on board."

"He got through to her," Cameron admitted.

"It is unfortunate that he also...got through...to Apophis."

"Yeah...in all the wrong ways." The man shook his head, then moved to dial the DHD. "Alright...time to get this show on the road." The wormhole flared up again, and he walked up to it, turning at the last moment to nod a quick goodbye to the Jaffa. "See you on Earth, big guy." Then the stepped through the gate.

A few seconds later, Cameron emerged on the other side to find himself in the middle of deserted, sandy plains. A majestic monument towered above him. Then he heard the sound of horse hooves, and soon found himself surrounded. The riders regarded him with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

"Hail and welcome," one of the oddly-clad riders said.

"Uh...hi." Mitchell scratched his head, then looked up at the looming edifice. "Any chance these come in pocket size?"

* * *

Vala stepped out of the vortex to find herself in the middle of a room full of armed men. Instead of daunting, she found the sight encouraging. Maybe the Tau'ri were better equipped to defend themselves than she gave them credit for.

She raised her hands, the universal non-threatening gesture. Then she grinned at them. "Congratulations. You've just met your first alien. Now...where's my Daniel?"

* * *

**A/N: Ah. Our wayward crew of space pirates to the rescue! The story diverged a little bit from the fairy tale here, but we'll get back on track soon enough. Meanwhile, thanks so much for reading, everyone! Your feedback has been wonderful, and I love reading it.**

**~SC  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Apophis activated his long range communication device, expecting to see his brother, the great god Ra. Instead a woman's face appeared, her expression a mix of uncertainty and haughtiness.

"Who are you?" He was pleased to see her eyes widen at the metallic sound of his voice. She was afraid... as well she should be.

"You're Apophis!" She smiled impudently, even as she dared call her god by his name. She would pay. "Well, you'll excuse my surprise, but I'm a little new to this whole alien technology thing."

"I will not be spoken to like that." His voice radiated anger. "I am your god Apophis, brother to the supreme god Ra!"

To his displeasure, a slow grin spread across her face. "A god...even better. Well, Apophis, brother to the supreme god..." She smiled, looking him straight in the eyes. "I can offer you this planet...and much more... and maybe then, _you _will be the supreme god."

Apophis watched the woman intently. A worthless vessel...but a beautiful one. And his queen was in need of a host. His lips slowly drew in a smile that matched hers.

"Perhaps, Tau'ri, you do have something to offer me, after all."

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Vala tapped her fingers on the table top, glaring at the green-clad guards in front of her. "Tell the man with the shiny head that I'm not the one he needs to be worried about!"

"The man with the shiny head isn't going to believe that," (having walked through the door just in time to hear her, the man in question sounded irritated) "until you explain what exactly you're doing on my base!"

"I'm here to warn you! And you are doing exactly what Cameron said you'd do, namely shooting the messenger!"

"Pretty well armed for a messenger." A gray-haired man held up the two guns they had taken off her, as well as a couple of knives.

Vala shrugged. "A couple of Zat'Nik'Tels are nothing compared to that mothership in orbit."

"Zack nicka - whack-a-tels?"

That earned the gray-haired man a glare from the leader, who then turn his stern gaze back on Vala.

"Apophis has not made a single threat against us," he argued. "He has only expressed interest in meeting our leaders."

"How your race survived all these centuries with no sense of self-preservation is beyond me," the alien muttered irritatedly. "He wants your leaders for hosts! Get a couple of dozen Goa'uld in high places, and he'll enslave the planet without having to fire a single shot."

The gray-haired man frowned. "Hosts...I'm assuming we're not talking about talk show hosts here."

Vala lowered her head to the table. "Hasn't Daniel _explained _anything to you people about the Goa'uld?"

The people in the room exchanged a glance.

"Actually," the blonde woman spoke up, "we haven't been able to find Daniel for the past couple of days."

Vala's head immediately came up. "What? He's missing?" She immediately dropped the concerned tone for an irritated eyeroll. "That man's a magnet for trouble. Worst investment I've ever made...and that's including Inago's broken power coil!"

"She obviously knows Jackson very well," the gray-haired one commented.

"Look." Vala said impatiently. "I don't have time for this. Apophis has destroyed a lot of worlds before yours, and your primitive projectile weapons won't even give him pause. You need to set up a defense. I _think _I have a plan...on the way. But in case that doesn't pan out, you should also start evacuating through the stargate. I have coordinates for two worlds protected from the Goa'uld."

The gray-haired man and the blonde woman looked to the bald man - clearly their leader. Before he could make a decision, however, a small device attached to the wall started ringing. He picked it up.

"Hammond." Whatever he heard on the other end made him redden in anger. "What? Why wasn't I informed of this?" Another pause. "Out of the question. I've just received information suggesting that that may not be the best course of action!" Pause. "Because I'm still in the process of talking to that source!" he bellowed, a rather impressive sound by Vala's standards. "No - _you _will tell the President that - I don't _care_ who you are, I only take my orders from one man! You tell him I request a meeting upon their arrival." His nostrils flared. "Listen, Senator. The whole planet is on the line, and I'm not going to risk getting us all blown to pieces over politics! Last I checked, I was still in charge of this base, and nothing goes on here without my approval! So you get that delay!"

He slammed the receiver back into the wall, and turned to them, his expression still angered. "The President and joint chiefs agreed to meet with Apophis. Someone apparently pulled some strings to sway the vote in that direction." He took a deep breath. "And apparently Apophis requested that the meeting take place here. On this base."

"How did he know this base even existed?" the blonde woman asked.

"It would seem that someone told him. They do not know who it was."

"Y'know," the other man muttered, "for an alien, that guy's got an awful lot of connections on Earth."

Vala shook her head. "Start evacuating. And do _not _let those leaders meet him," she warned again. "And don't allow him anywhere near that stargate! The only reason he wants to be here is that you're too deep underground to be destroyed from orbit. He'll use the stargate to destroy this base from within."

The three Tau'ri exchanged a grim look.

"You're a messenger with a pretty lousy message," the grey-haired one commented.

* * *

Daniel paced the floor from one end of the room to the other, staring desperately at the walls in the hope that some escape venue would occur to him. So far he had tried the windows (locked and two floors up anyway), the ventilation system (too high), the heat exhaust (too narrow) and the door (too many armed goons on the other side). Hathon had left over two hours before, and he had heard nothing of her since, nor anything about what Apophis was doing. He wasn't sure which one of the two he was more worried about.

He looked out the window again. Maybe he could survive the jump. Probably not with any unbroken bones though, and _then_ what use would he be.

The cell phone that Hathon had smashed earlier lay in pieces on the floor. He picked at them half-heartedly, not really thinking he could put them back together. The landline on the desk was disconnected.

For the tenth time, he rummaged through his backpack, which also lay discarded near the foot of the desk. Nothing useful in there, either. If only Hathon hadn't taken Vala's communication device...

An involuntary sigh escaped him as he thought of her. The odd space pirate who had imprisoned his mother, then kidnapped and kept him captive for weeks. She lied and stole and cheated people for a living. Deranged, Hathon had called her, and dangerous, and Daniel could hardly argue. But she had changed all of a sudden. Or maybe he was the one who had changed...

In a fit of anger he banged his fists on the door. "Hey! Let me out of here!" It was still locked from the outside, so he banged again. "Open up! I want to talk to you! Open the door!"

Predictably, there was no reply, but he tried again anyway.

"Let me out! You can't keep me in here forever!" he shouted, well aware that they very well could, if they were so inclined, and it was unlikely anyone would come looking. "It's very important that I talk to you! Open the door! Open-"

And the door swung open.

Daniel was caught unawares for a second, then hurried to compose himself. "Right, so, I really-"

His jaw dropped as he realized that the guards outside his door were now lying face down on the floor, apparently unconscious. Towering above them, a satisfying grin on her face, stood...

"Oma...?"

"Hi!" She looked slightly odd, her cheeks just a little too flushed, her eyes a little too bright.

"Are...you okay?"

His mother held up a cube-shaped paper weight in one hand. "I knocked my guard out with this!" She held up a taser in the other hand. "And took this off him!" She grinned excitedly. "Then I used it to take _them_ out!"

Daniel looked at the three unconscious guards. Oma followed his gaze, then their eyes met. She shrugged, and grinned again.

"Hey, if your precious space pirate can do it..."

"She's not my...you know what, never mind." He took the paper weight, and grabbed her free hand. "We have to warn General Hammond. Apophis is going to destroy this planet unless someone stops him!"

* * *

General Hammond hung up the wall phone. "The President's here. I'm going to debrief him and the chiefs."

"Do _not_ let Apophis anywhere near the stargate," Vala warned for what must have been the tenth time.

Hammond nodded. "I might send for you if he wants to meet you in person; meanwhile, tell Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Carter everything you know about his ships, so we can prepare a defense."

"Sure...help the primitive species mount a defense against the Goa'uld's best fleet," the woman muttered as the General left the room. "That's a promising plan."

Sam gave her a reproving look. "We do have _some_ weapons, you know. Pretty good ones, too."

Vala bit her lips. "Projectile weapons will cause moderate harm to Jaffa armors, if fired at close range and in great quantity. But the mothership has an energy shield, and it takes phasic disruption to break through it. So nothing you have will even make a dent in that ship, and it can fry your entire planet from orbit in less than a day."

O'Neill looked taken aback. "Oh-kay...are you sure? We've got some pretty hard-core missiles on stand-by."

Vala nodded glumly. "Yes, Cameron told me about those. If you fired a few of them straight at Apophis's ship, with no shield in your way, you could probably break through the outer hull. But even without the shield, their weapons would shoot down your projectiles before they got anywhere close to the ship." She put both hands on her knees, and looked up at him with a shake of her head. "Sorry. You've got nothing on him. Your best bet is evacuating, and stalling...until my friends get here with some bigger weapons that may give you a fighting chance. "

* * *

Less than an hour later, things were not looking any more promising.

"The President has agreed to meet Apophis." Hammond looked dangerously displeased, and Vala's indignant huff did not help his mood.

"After _everything_ I told you, you're still going to welcome him with open arms?"

"I assure you, this is being done against my recommendations, and - "

"I assure _you,_" she interrupted, "that no one is going to be around to _care_ about your recommendations once Apophis sets food on this base."

"I still take my orders from the President," the General reminded her.

"Your President sounds like a complete -"

"Enough!" Hammond bellowed. He followed the word with a menacing glare to make sure she stayed silent. "Apophis will come down to the base accompanied by a minimum escort, and the meeting will take place as far from the stargate as possible."

Vala opened her mouth to protest again, but Jack O'Neill made a cutting gesture with his hand, clearly telling her to keep quiet.

"I've ordered the evacuation of all non-essential personnel," Hammond informed the other two. "Dr. Carter, that includes - "

"I'm staying!" Sam blushed. "Uh...I mean, please, General...Sir." She recovered and squared her shoulders. "I've been studying the stargate mechanics for weeks, and I _am_ the only one on this base who worked on a space vessel capable of reaching the solar system's escape velocity!"

"You have ships?" Vala looked at them with renewed interest. "Cameron didn't mention those! Do they have weapons?"

Sam looked a little uncomfortable. "Err...not exactly. We _had_ one...eh...Oma flew it off Earth..."

"_That_! You call that flying pile of scrap metal a space vessel? And you _worked_ on it? And here I thought you were marginally competent..."

Before things could escalate further (Sam had turned a fresh shade of pink, and her eyes glinted dangerously at the offense to her and Oma's precious space module) , Hammond stepped in. "Alright, Doctor, you can stay - work on a way to shield this base from anything Apophis might throw at it, from orbit or from within. Colonel, pick a team to escort Apophis, and another to guard the gate at all times. Then I want you in that meeting room with us. You," he turned and glared at Vala, "are going to stay in this room until I decide otherwise."

The alien rolled her eyes. "That sounds like a great plan."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! **

**~SC  
**


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